Russian President Vladimir Putin during the ceremony to lay flowers at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Alexander Garden in Moscow, Russia May 9, 2018. Sputnik/Sputnik/Mikhael Klimentyev/Kremlin
Nikolas K. Gvosdev, National Interest: Who Will Lead Russia after Putin?
It's time to start discussions of who his potential successor might be.
It is always risky to make definitive pronouncements about the future prospects of Russian politicians. Now that Vladimir Putin has started his fourth term as Russia’s president, we again start discussions of who his potential successor might be, since, unless the Russian Constitution is changed, he will run up against the prohibition of holding more than two consecutive terms in office. Moreover, there is the simple reality of biology: at some point, Putin will no longer be capable of wielding supreme executive power—and he will either want to be able to enjoy his retirement or to have preparations made to secure his legacy once he has departed from this mortal vale.
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WNU Editor: At this moment in time .... if something should happen to Russian President Putin .... Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev will be stepping up to be the President. There will be some opposition .... simply because he has not cultivated the power base that Putin has cultivated over the years (i.e. the Russian Orthodox church, pensioners, etc.) .... but he will still be the next President. If nothing happens to Putin from now to 4 years from now .... it is going to be a different story. There are now a number of young 40 something politicians who are eyeing the top job, and they are positioning themselves for a run at the Presidency.My prediction .... the next Russian President will be coming from Moscow.
