Kremlin Weighs Early Presidential Vote as Economic Worries Mount
Russian President, Vladimir Putin applauds during a presentation ceremony of state awards marking the Day of Russia in the Grand Kremlin Palace in Moscow on June 12, 2015.
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The Kremlin said experts will study the idea of calling early presidential elections, a move that could give Vladimir Putin a fresh term while his approval rating remains near a record high.
“This is a new proposal,” Dmitry Peskov, Putin’s spokesman, told reporters on a conference call just minutes after former Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin, a longtime ally of the president, mooted the idea at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum. “Political experts and circles will discuss this idea like they do others.”