Russian demonstrators on Saturday urged President Vladimir Putin not to run for a fourth term beginning from 2018. They rallied in cities across Russia under the slogan “I’m fed up,” which reportedly left dozens arrested in St. Petersburg. The centrepiece rally in Moscow, however, went peacefully.
According to NAN reports, several hundred people rallied in a park then moved to the nearby presidential administration building to present letters telling Putin to stand down from running in 2018.
Putin has not announced whether he plans to run for president again next year. He has dominated Russian politics since becoming president on New Year’s Eve 1999 when Boris Yeltsin resigned. Even when he stepped away to become prime minister in 2008-2012 because of term limits, he remained effectively Russia’s leader.
