MOSCOW — Vladimir Putin, the man who will become Russia’s president for a third term next month, indicated Wednesday that he would back a law that bars others from doing what he did - serve as president for more than two terms.
But Mr. Putin also suggested such a law would not apply to himself, leaving open the possibility that he could run for a fourth presidential term in 2018.
The Russian Constitution now bars a person from being president for more than two consecutive terms.
Mr. Putin was Russia’s president from 2000 to 2008 - two four-year terms - but had to step down to avoid the issue of consecutive terms. He did not step far away - becoming the country’s prime minister and remaining Russia’s most powerful leader despite the title change.
But because of that “consecutive” clause, Mr. Putin was able to run for a third term. He won the March presidential election amid an unprecedented wave of street protests stemming from allegations of widespread vote rigging in December’s parliamentary election. Mr. Putin will be sworn in May 7.
In addition, while Mr. Putin was prime minister, his placeholder, Dmitry Medvedev, pushed a law through Parliament changing the presidential term from four to six years, so Mr. Putin will now rule until 2018.
On Wednesday, during a Q&A session in Parliament, Mr. Putin said it would be “reasonable” to remove the mention of consecutive terms.
But he added that this would not affect him because such a legislation cannot be retroactive - implying that his third term would be considered his first term under the new law.
“Once it’s passed, I will have a chance to work for the next two terms. There’s no problem here,” he said in televised remarks.
When he was asked shortly before the March vote whether he thought it was ethical of him to run for a third term, Mr. Putin said he saw no reason not to run because the law allowed it.
A few hours before his annual speech to Parliament, several opposition activists were detained outside the Parliament building when they attempted to stage an unsanctioned rally.
In his speech, Mr. Putin pledged to improve Russia’s dismal investment climate, calling it crucial for the country’s development.
He promised his new government would submit legislation to make Russia more business-friendly before the end of the year and introduce the position of an ombudsman to champion investors’ rights.
“We won’t be able to tackle any issue in the economy or social sphere unless we fix the situation with the business climate,” Mr. Putin said in his annual address.
Russia’s gross domestic product grew 4.3 percent last year, but Russia also recorded a capital outflow of $84 billion, which signals domestic and foreign investors’ decreasing confidence in the future of the economy.
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