5 Apr 2021 17:08

Putin signs law that resets presidential terms to zero

MOSCOW. April 5 (Interfax) - Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed into law a bill that brings the country's legislation on elections and referenda into line with the amendments introduced to the constitution.

The relevant document was published on the official Internet portal for legal information on Monday.

The law clarifies the current restrictions on serving more than two terms as president.

For instance, Law No. 19-FZ "On Elections of the Russian President" says that a Russian citizen who has served two terms of office as president or is serving his second term as president on the day of the official publishing of the resolution on holding a Russian presidential election has no right to be reelected.

At the same time, the law does not count the number of presidential terms served by the person previously and/or at the moment of the entry into force of the relevant constitutional amendment.

The law has also been augmented with a constitutional clause, according to which a Russian citizen aged 35 and up, who has permanently resided in Russia for at least 25 years and who has no foreign citizenship or residency permits or other documents allowing permanent residence abroad, may be elected president of Russia.

The requirement as concerns the absence of foreign citizenship does not apply to Russian citizens "who earlier held the citizenship of a country incorporated into the Russian Federation either fully or partially."

In addition, the law expands the list of grounds that prevent a Russian citizen from being elected a State Duma deputy, with crimes of which a citizen has been convicted and sentenced to imprisonment for, unless such convictions are expunged or have been served as of the voting date. The restriction remains in effect for five years of the date of the served or expunged conviction.