The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) has called on the international community not to recognize the legitimacy of Russian dictator Vladimir Putin after his current presidential term ends in March 2024.
Source. This is stated in the unanimously approved resolution of the Assembly.
According to the document, Putin has been in power in the Kremlin since 2000. At the same time, the amendments to the Constitution of the Russian Federation introduced in July 2020 allow him to remain in power until 2036. This raises concerns about the lack of checks and balances. Combined with the growing repression of domestic opponents and Russia's actions in Ukraine, this underscores the cost of uncontrolled presidential power, PACE notes.
"The authoritarian power of the president, resulting from his extremely long tenure in power, combined with the absence of any checks and balances, such as a strong parliament, independent judiciary, free media and active civil society, has turned the Russian Federation into a de facto dictatorship," the parliamentarians said.
The Assembly called Russia's aggression against Ukraine and its consequences evidence that dictatorships "pose a threat to international peace and security, as well as to the territorial integrity and political independence of their neighbors."
In this regard, the restoration of democracy in Russia is in the interests not only of the Russian people, but also of Europe and the entire world, the resolution emphasizes.
The assembly also reaffirmed its support for the idea of establishing a special international criminal tribunal "to hold the Russian leadership, including Putin, accountable" for the annexation of Crimea, the war in Donbas, the downing of flight MH17 and the invasion of Ukraine.
On March 17, the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague issued an arrest warrant for Putin over the illegal deportation of children from the occupied territories of Ukraine.