Russian President-elect Vladimir Putin has taken the oath of office at a ceremony at the Kremlin in Moscow on Tuesday, after securing his fifth term in the highest office with a record 87.28% of the vote in March.
The ceremony was held at the Grand Kremlin Palace, after the 71-year-old leader took a short car ride to the location from his workplace. The current protocol was first used in 1996, when Boris Yeltsin assumed his second term in office.
Dozens of dignitaries, including senior officials from parliament and the constitutional court, will attend. The heads of all foreign diplomatic missions accredited in Moscow – including those from ‘unfriendly states’ – were also invited, as required by protocol. Other distinguished guests received invitations for holding high merits or representing major religions in Russia.
After taking the 33-word oath to serve the Russian people, which is enshrined in the country’s constitution, Putin will be officially declared the president of Russia for the next six years.
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07 May 2024
As the inauguration ceremony wrapped up, Putin oversaw a parade of the elite Presidential Regiment.
Russia’s ability to surmount major challenges depends on whether it remains united as well as a “shared desire to bring benefit to the motherland,” Putin has said.
Russia must be self-sufficient and competitive, Putin stressed, adding that the political system should be robust and sustainable, but also flexible. Moscow’s key priorities involve preserving centuries-old values and traditions, he said.
Russia is and will continue to be open to forging close ties with all countries that see it as a reliable partner, Putin noted. “We don’t refuse a dialogue with Western nations. The ball is in their court,” he said, adding that further relations depend on whether the West persists in its attempts to deter and pressure Moscow.
Hailing the service members taking part in the Ukraine operation, Putin promised that Russia’s national security and interests will be a top priority for him.
Putin has started his inauguration address, thanking fellow citizens in all regions, including residents in Russia’s “historical lands who defended their right to be together with their motherland.” He was apparently referring to four former Ukrainian territories that voted overwhelmingly to join Russia in 2022.
Putin took the presidential oath while placing his hand on the Russian Constitution. “I swear in exercising the powers of the president of the Russian Federation to respect and protect the rights and freedoms of every citizen, to respect and defend the Constitution of the Russian Federation, to protect the sovereignty and independence, security and integrity of the state, to faithfully serve the people,” Putin stated.
After taking the oath, he was officially proclaimed president of Russia, ushering in his fifth term in office.
Putin has arrived at the Grand Kremlin Palace where he was saluted by the Kremlin superintendent, and entered St. Andrew Hall where he will deliver his inaugural address.
The presidential motorcade has left for the Grand Kremlin Palace, with Putin in the Aurus Senate presidential limousine.
The presidential inauguration ceremony has begun. Kremlin guards are bringing the presidential banner and the national tricolor into the hall.
Putin’s inauguration has triggered a significant rift between EU members, Spiegel has reported, noting that countries such as France, Hungary, and Slovakia have sent representatives to the ceremony “to keep channels of communication [with Russia] open.”
Others, including Germany, have deemed participation “inappropriate” amid the standoff over Ukraine, the article stated. EU representatives won’t attend the inauguration either, officials in Brussels have said.
Russian State Duma Chairman Vyacheslav Volodin has said he is sure that the population has rallied around Putin and that this consolidation will lead the nation to new victories.
According to Volodin, Putin has proven his devotion to the country through his decades in office, adding that under his leadership, Russia “has gone through a difficult path of revival and development, becoming a strong, sovereign state.”
The first guests have already arrived for Putin's inauguration, which is scheduled to begin at 12pm Moscow time (9am GMT). The event will be attended by members of the government, Russian lawmakers, senior members of the presidential administration, judges of the Constitutional Court, members of the Central Election Commission and representatives of the diplomatic corps.
Other attendees include recipients of the country’s most prestigious state awards, such as Hero of Russia, representatives of religious denominations, members of the business community, and the president’s confidants.
A special copy of the Russian Constitution has been prepared for the presidential inauguration, which includes the amendments adopted in 2020 and 2022, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. In particular, the first set of amendments “nullified” Putin’s previous terms, while the second officially incorporated four former Ukrainian regions into Russia after they voted overwhelmingly to join the country.
According to Peskov, the new copy of the constitution was printed by the Izvestia publishing house, while the old one will be handed over to the presidential library.
Russia conducts democratic processes such as presidential elections and inaugurations “not in order to report to the West” or for Western countries “to appreciate, love, or hate us,” Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in an interview with TASS.
These processes are aimed at making Russia a more prosperous and secure country and preserving its cultural heritage, she stressed.
“Unfortunately, more than once in the history of our interaction [with the West], when we extended a hand of friendship, it was met with a bloody hand. We have learned this lesson well, and accordingly we focus on our own national interests,” Zakharova added.
Seven EU states, including France, will attend the Kremlin ceremony to swear in Vladimir Putin for a new six-year term as president on Tuesday, Reuters reports.
On Monday, the Russian leader’s aide, Yury Ushakov, said the heads of all foreign diplomatic missions in Moscow were invited to attend the inauguration.
Twenty EU member states, including Poland and Germany, have signaled that they will not send representatives amid tensions over the Ukraine conflict, but the other seven states will participate, a European diplomat told the agency on condition of anonymity.
A diplomatic source in Paris separately told Reuters that “France will be represented by its ambassador to Russia,” Pierre Levy. On Monday, French President Emmanuel Macron said: “We are not at war with Russia or the Russian people, and we have no desire for regime change in Moscow.”
Apart from France, Hungary and Slovakia are both expected to attend, two diplomatic sources told Reuters.
The Czech Republic, as well as the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, which no longer have envoys in Moscow, will not attend the inauguration.
The US, UK, and Canada said they will not send anyone to attend the ceremony.
According to the Russian constitution, the government must resign after the inauguration of the president-elect. The deadline for forming a new government is one month. Putin held the last meeting with his outgoing cabinet on Monday, expressing his gratitude for their work over the years.
“The cost of our actions at this historical time for Russia is extremely high. Your experience, your knowledge, personal authority, and business skills will certainly be in demand,” he stated. “Another political cycle is beginning. But work in the interests of Russia, the Russians, and all other peoples of the Russian Federation does not stop.”
Kremlin Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov has hinted that “there will be certain nuances” in the usual format of the swearing-in ceremony, without revealing further details.
Officials also said a refurbished version of the Aurus Senat presidential limousine will be showcased during the event. The vehicle, which made its debut during Putin’s inauguration in 2018, was given new front optics, a radiator grille, bumper, hood, and wings. The interior of the car has also been modernized.
Vladimir Putin secured a landslide victory with 87.28% of the vote in the presidential election, which was held March 15-17 and was marked by record-high voter turnout of over 77%.
A KGB agent during the Soviet era, Putin was first elected president in 2000, remaining in office for two four-year terms until 2008. From 2008 to 2012, he served as prime minister under President Dmitry Medvedev, during whose tenure the constitution was amended to extend the presidential term from four to six years.
Putin returned to the presidency in 2012 and was reelected in 2018. A constitutional reform in 2020 established a two-term limit but “nullified” Putin’s previous terms, enabling him to run for the highest office once more.