Putin says he is not ready to leave the Russian presidency

And that’s good, as no one knows for sure what the post-Putin Russia will be like

 

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Friday that he might decide to stay in office for life.

Putin stated on Friday during a question-and-answer session with students in Sochi that “I have not yet decided yet whether I will leave the post of the president or not. Only after I answer this question for myself will I think about my next step”.

Presidents in Russia are prohibited from serving a third consecutive term. In 2011, though, presidential terms were lengthened from four years to six years.

Putin served for two terms from 2000 to 2008, then reassumed the presidency in 2012 amid allegations of rigged elections. He’ll be up for election again in 2018.

Putin also added that there are “many” options for him post-presidency, but that he hasn’t yet decided if he will even pursue them.

“There are a lot of interesting things to do in the world,” Putin said. “There are public organizations and there are other areas that are very interesting to me, for example, ecology. … First, the main question should be answered.”