Vladimir Putin has taken the oath of office for a fourth term as Russia’s president, in a ceremony that highlighted his vast accumulation of authority
Vladimir Putin has taken the oath of office for a fourth term as Russia’s president, in a ceremony that highlighted his vast accumulation of authority after nearly two decades in power. A former KGB agent, Vladimir Putin has ruled Russia as prime minister or president for more than 18 years, and in that time has crafted an image as a steely nerved leader and the man best qualified to rebuild his country after the collapse of the Soviet Union.
His fourth term extends his almost two-decade rule by another six years at a time of high tension with his Western rivals. The 65-year-old is on course to become the longest-serving Russian leader since Joseph Stalin after his victory in March’s elections.
Putin won nearly 77 percent of the vote in polls which his most vocal opponent was banned from running in. He has promised to use his fourth term to revitalize the country’s economy. But he also faces a host of delicate international disputes. Opposition leader Alexei Navalny called on Russians to protest across the country on Saturday under the slogan “Not our Tsar” and on Saturday, nearly 1,600 protesters including Navalny were detained during nationwide rallies against Putin. Navalny was barred from challenging Putin in the March election over a fraud conviction that his supporters say is politically motivated.
The European Union has already condemned what it called police brutality and mass arrests during the protests. The unrest revived memories of 2012, when authorities cracked down on rallies against Putin’s return to the Kremlin from the post of prime minister.
In a short speech, Putin suggested his focus had now turned to domestic matters and improving Russia’s economy for the “well-being of every family,” though there were no words of reconciliation in the country’s tense relations with the West.
