Russian President Vladimir Putin may step down in Jan 2021 due to health issues: Report

In a massive announcement, Russian President Vladimir Putin is allegedly planning to step down next year as he may have Parkinson’s disease, claimed a report by The Sun. The UK-based news agency claimed that the  68-year-old Putin has allegedly been showing tell-tale symptoms of the disease in recent public appearances. Moscow's political analyst Valery Solovei has revealed to the Sun that Putin's 37-year-old girlfriend and his two daughters have been pushing him to leave office, amid ill-health.

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Putin to resign in 2021?

Reports claim that in recent footage of the Russian President, Putin's legs appeared to be in constant motion and he looked to be in pain while clutching the armrest of a chair, according to onlookers. Moreover, witnesses allegedly observed that Putin's fingers were seen to be twitching as he held a pen and gripped a cup believed to contain a cocktail of painkillers. His daughters - Maria Vorontsova (35) and Katerina Tikhonova (34) are said to have a  great influence on him, claimed Solevai adding that 'He intends to make public his handover plans in January.' Putin's staff as allegedly played down rumours that the four-term president is planning for his exit. 

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Recently, Russian lawmakers have proposed a bill to include ex-presidents in the current law which dictates that sitting presidents cannot be held criminally or administratively liable for crimes committed while serving their terms, as per reports. This bill reportedly grants immunity for ex-presidents beyond the terms of their presidential powers. However, there is a provision in the bill that allows lawmakers to rescind the immunity clause by a two-thirds majority in both legislative houses if the president is accused of high treason or other felonies. However, political analysts note that such a scenario is unlikely, as both houses are controlled by pro-Putin leaders. Putin has also sought an amendment allowing former presidents a lifetime seat in the senate. 

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Putin's term extended

These constitutional reforms come in the wake of a nationwide vote which allowed Putin to remain in power till 2036, with 78% of Russians backing the amendment. The reform package also includes immunity for ex-presidents from prosecution, enshrine a reference in the constitution to God and define marriage as a union of a man and a woman, as per reports. While the Kremlin claimed the polling was 'legitimate' and 'transparent', Putin critic Alexei Navalny called the vote an illegitimate and illegal show designed to legalise Putin's presidency for life. Navalny recently survived a poisoning attack allegedly ordered by Putin.

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