Russia leaders wants longer term

The World

People pay scant attention to the current President as he moves through Moscow, but those practical priorities might explain why there’s little reaction to news that their president wants to change the constitution to allow for extensions in presidential terms. Medvedev says it will allow for more opportunity to make governmental reforms. This man and former politician calls it confusion and anti-democratic reform in the making. He was sacked by Putin when Putin took over. He was barred from running in this year’s presidential election and he can barely contain his frustration. The change won’t come into force in time to extend Medvedev’s term, but many people are suggesting the next president should be Putin who stepped down in May after reaching his two-term limit. That raises the prospect that Putin could rule Russia for years to come, but that doesn’t bother everyone. Consider this businessman, one of Russia’s wealthiest tycoons and a former KGB office. He says he doesn’t care who’s in office or for how long, as long as the parliament is effective and the media is independent. He doesn’t think Russia has any of those but he’s trying to do something about it and wants to start a new party with Gorbachev. But that task may become even more difficult because Medvedev is seeking changes to make it exceedingly difficult for other parties to run for top jobs, as well as trying to bring out control for the Kremlin to rule over more of the country outside of Moscow.

Invest in independent global news

The World is an independent newsroom. We’re not funded by billionaires; instead, we rely on readers and listeners like you. As a listener, you’re a crucial part of our team and our global community. Your support is vital to running our nonprofit newsroom, and we can’t do this work without you. Will you support The World with a gift today? Donations made between now and Dec. 31 will be matched 1:1. Thanks for investing in our work!