"5-term" Putin's Inauguration as Russian President Today... Term Until 2030

Russian President Vladimir Putin will begin his fifth term through an inauguration ceremony on the 7th (local time).

[Image source=Yonhap News]

President Putin is scheduled to take the oath of office at 12 noon (6 p.m. KST on the 7th) in the Andreevsky Hall of the Grand Kremlin Palace in Moscow. Having won his fifth term with a record-high 87.28% of the vote in the presidential election held from March 15 to 17, President Putin will continue his rule following his terms in 2000, 2004, 2012, and 2018. This term will last six years, until 2030.

The inauguration ceremony is expected to last about an hour. President Putin will enter to the background of Tchaikovsky’s march and the Kremlin Palace bells ringing at noon, raise his right hand to the constitution to take the oath, and deliver a speech outlining his aspirations for the new term.

However, due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Ukraine and Western countries opposing Russia are reportedly considering boycotting the inauguration ceremony. According to major foreign media, all 27 European Union (EU) member states are expected not to attend the ceremony.

In his new term, President Putin is expected to attempt to strengthen internal cohesion. This is amid ongoing unstable domestic and international situations, including the war with Ukraine that has lasted three years, the death of his biggest rival Alexei Navalny in prison, and the Crocus City Hall terror attack that resulted in 145 deaths. There are also prospects of a major government reshuffle.

President Putin, who is pushing for an anti-Western alliance, has chosen China as his first overseas destination after the inauguration. He is scheduled to visit China this month for a summit with President Xi Jinping, and is also expected to visit North Korea within the year, signaling a strengthening of the North Korea-China-Russia alliance.

President Putin is called the “modern-day Tsar” in Russia. Since taking over as acting president on December 31, 1999, following the resignation of former President Boris Yeltsin, he has maintained real power in Russia, including during his time as prime minister (2008?2012).

There is speculation that he may run in the 2030 presidential election. If he succeeds in winning a sixth term, he could extend his rule until 2036, effectively becoming a lifelong ruler.