Putin extends his rule of Russia to another term, his fifth

Russian leader Vladimir Putin on Monday formally began what Russian state media called his fifth term as president. State-run media said he won the election last month with roughly 87 percent of the vote.

How democratic was this election? Russia’s latest election was undemocratic, according to a statement by U.S. Secretary of State Tony Blinken. The Russian government systematically suppressed activists calling for democratic election practices and denied candidates who opposed Russia’s war in Ukraine, he said.

Additionally, Russian authorities last year sentenced Putin’s biggest political rival, Alexei Navalny, to more than a decade behind bars on extremism and corruption charges. The United States called those charges unfounded and unjust. Navalny died behind bars in mid-February, a month before the Russian presidential election in March.

How long has he been in office? Since 1999, Putin has held power as either president or prime minister. His current term is set to end in 2030, state media said. He served two four-year terms as president from 1999-2008 before stepping away to serve as Russia’s prime minister for four years. An amendment to the Russian constitution changed the presidential terms to six years instead of four. Putin resumed the president’s office in 2012, serving two consecutive six-year terms. Another constitutional amendment in 2020 allowed him to serve a fifth term, again for six years.

Dig deeper: Read Jill Nelson’s report in WORLD Magazine about whether opposition movements in Russia can survive violent oppression reaching even beyond the country’s borders.