Rule is a “sacred duty”
Putin takes oath of office for his fifth presidency
May 7, 2024, 12:46 p.m
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Vladimir Putin remains President of Russia. After his controversial election victory, he is now taking his oath of office. He suggests to the West that he is willing to talk, but does not back away from his goals in Ukraine.
Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin presented himself as willing to engage in dialogue when he introduced his fifth term in office. “Russia does not refuse dialogue with the West,” he said after taking the oath of office in his speech broadcast on Russian television in front of several thousand spectators, representatives of the government from both chambers of parliament and other high-ranking guests – in the Grand Kremlin Palace. Being the leader of Russia is a “sacred duty,” Putin said. The West has the choice whether it wants to continue to aggressively confront Russia and contain it.
At the same time, Putin emphasized that Russia would continue on its own path. He also described his re-election as a confirmation of the course he had taken and thus also of the war against Ukraine that began two years ago. The Kremlin chief was optimistic that Russia would overcome the existing problems. This requires unity and unity. “We will win,” Putin concluded his speech.
In his oath of office, he had previously sworn, among other things, to protect civil rights and the Constitution as president. Civil rights activists accuse the president of persecuting dissidents and suppressing political opposition and independent media. Putin had the constitution rewritten four years ago in order to secure another term in office. The old constitution would have prohibited him from running in the election again.
The ceremony in Moscow was boycotted by the USA and numerous European countries, including Germany, because of the war of aggression against Ukraine. The German ambassador Alexander Graf Lambsdorff was called to Berlin by the federal government on Monday.
Patriarch approves Putin’s presidency
The 71-year-old Putin, who has dominated Russian politics for 24 years, had a record result of more than 87 percent of the vote in the presidential election in March. The election was overshadowed by allegations of fraud and manipulation. There was also criticism because not a single real opposition candidate was allowed.
The live images showed Putin leaving his office in the Kremlin. He was then driven to the Grand Kremlin Palace in a Russian-made Aurus limousine and walked through the ranks of honored guests before taking his oath. After the ceremony, the presidential regiment paraded past its chief in the sleet. According to the weather service, it was the coldest May 7 in Moscow in 25 years. At the end, Putin had his new term of office blessed by Patriarch Kirill in the Kremlin Church.
Traditionally, the Russian government resigns after the president’s inauguration to give him free rein to fill the cabinet. According to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, Putin wanted to present his candidate for prime minister later in the day. It was expected that he would leave Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin in office.