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Kremlin sources say Putin is on his way out and has got a successor | Metro NewsRussian politics has often been a confusing mix but now President Putin is rumoured to have tipped a successor.
Leader since 1999, Putin has overseen a crackdown on LGBT rights and expansionary wars in Ukraine and Georgia.
A letter from a friend of the president has now leaked, suggesting the occupant of the Kremlin could step down.
The leader, who is a divorced judo pro, was blindsided when a member of the public asked him about the rumour.
Putin is apparently set to announce Vyacheslav Volodin as his chosen successor.
And he also refused to deny that he was going to step down.
The President told the USSR war veteran who asked the question: ‘The president’s successor will be decided by the Russian people only during a democratic election and by nobody else.’
Many observers were shocked as they expected him to serve another term until 2024.
Mr Volodin is a high flyer in Russia which is hardly kind to people who challenge the 64-year-old’s grip on power.
He is the speaker of the State Duma, the lower house of parliament and at 53 is already a former head of the presidential administration.
In recent weeks the province of Chechnya has alarmed foreign observers after the majority-Muslim region was said to be using ‘camps’ to force homosexuals to promise to leave.
But Putin has pursued a harsh policy on LGBT rights strongly restricting open expression in Russia.
Also:
Vladimir Putin 'quitting' rumours swirl in Russia as president confronted in Kremlin | Daily StarA letter allegedly penned by Putin’s political ally Frants Klintsevich, a senior senator, claimed Vlad’s crony Vyacheslav Volodin “would soon be president”.
Volodin – a devout Putin loyalist – has yet to comment on the rumours, but in December urged Putin to stand for another term.
Klintsevich later claimed the letter was a "fake", and he is known to be embroiled in an ugly dispute with the man who shocked Putin by reading it out, Andrey Chepurnoy, leader of a group of Afghan War veterans.
"Any graphology expert will prove my words" he said, although the text appeared to be typed.
Vyacheslav Volodin
53 years old. Twice married. Daughter Svetlana from first marriage born in 1990, finished law school in 2015; two young sons from current marriage, one of them named Vladimir, you can guess in who's honorAlso, he was a loyal member of the Communist Party, in the Soviet era.
Was head of Putin's Presidential Administration (a huge body which consumes over 1.5% of Russia's whole government budget, btw!) from 2011 to October last year, when was made Speaker of the Duma instead
A posting, I hear, he did not enjoy, treated, pretty much as a demotion, was bored as hell with it, and only took it, gnashing his teeth, because, frankly, Putin fucking told him to lol
When he began his political career, in late 1990s, he became close with the late great Yevgeny Primakov
It said that it was Primakov, who then ended up introducing him to Putin in due time. The caption on that photo says that Primakov liked Volodin, because he, Volodin, wasn't an arrogant snob (unlike many people in Russian politics lol)
Will be interesting to see what happens, for sure. Maybe, come election time next year, Putin really will step aside, for Volodin; or, someone else. The second article also mentions Federation Council (Russian Senate) Chairwoman Valentina Matvienko as a possible contender/successor
But that's a VERY distant chance. Public opinion in Russia is overwhelmingly against a female President...
Volodin, on the other hand... Who knows, who knows... Very possible.
Originally Posted by Miller47 
