Politics

PRESIDENT FOR LIFE? BEHIND THE FACADE, PUTIN'S POWER IS WEAKER THAN YOU MIGHT THINK | OPINION

Recent coverage of Russian President Vladimir Putin portrays an almost omnipotent figure. With his recent constitutional reform package, he appears to have paved the way to stay in the presidency until 2036—and with increased formal powers. If Russia's current political system can be described as "super-presidential," it will soon become "mega-presidential" or even monarchical, with Putin as tsar.

And this transformation appears to have happened with remarkably little resistance. No parliamentarians in the Russian legislature's lower chamber—the State Duma—voted against Putin's reform bill in its final reading on 11 March. Senior officials have made dramatic u-turns in their commentary on the legality of allowing Putin to run again for the presidency. And the political opposition's response has been muted, including because of moves to neuter their initiatives to mobilise against the reforms.

But this image of complete control is misleading.

Alongside the question of how he might stay in power beyond 2024, Putin's broader reform project involves restructuring and re-staffing governance organizations in Russia. This shakeup is already evident regarding the Government, the Constitutional Court, the Supreme Court, the State Duma, the State Council, the Security Council, and the party system, including the "party of power," United Russia.