Tomorrow the Russians go to the polls to vote for the Duma, the Russian parliament. Vladimir Putin is not standing for the presidency next time around as his tenure is legaly limited by the constitution to two terms, and will instead be putting himself forward as a parliamentary candidate. Here’s my prediction for the near future:
– Mr. Putin’s party gets into power, at which point he is promptly installed as Prime Minister
– the Russian constitution is rewritten such that the power lies with the Duma where members are not term limited, and the president is relegated to signing laws and shaking hands.
The result? Things change and everything stays the same. Now that it’s in writing, let’s all sit back and watch events unfold.