Is Vladimir Putin stepping down? Kremlin denies claims Russian president will quit amid Parkinson's speculation
Vladimir Putin is not planning to quit as Russian president, the Kremlin said amid claims that he was suffering from ill health and may step down as early as January.
Earlier it was reported citing sources in Moscow that Putin, who is serving in his fourth term as Russian president, was set to step down in January amid fears that he was suffering from Parkinson’s. According to reports, the 68-year-old strongman has been urged by Alina Kabaeva, his 37-year-old lover -- a former Olympic medal-winning gymnast -- to retire. His daughters have also reportedly joined Kabaeva to see Putin step down.
But on Friday morning, Kremlin spokesman and deputy chief of staff Dmitry Peskov insisted Putin was in 'excellent health' and dismissed the claims as 'complete nonsense'.
Recent footage of Putin’s legs moving around while he gripped the armrest of a chair had added fuel to the speculation over his health. A twitching pen in his fingers and a cup, which analysts told The Sun was filled with painkillers, also added to the suspicion.
Putin first became the acting president in 1999 and took up the job full time in 2000 from Boris Yeltsin, the first president of Russia after the collapse of the erstwhile USSR. He also served as the prime minister between 2008 and 2012 before returning as the president. In 2018, he won his latest term.
It was only earlier this week that it surfaced that an unexpected legislation was being hurried to make Putin a lifelong senator. The new draft legislation was introduced by none other than Putin and it would guarantee him legal immunity and also state perks till his death. Russia’s state-run RT media predicted the move would be seen as a preparation for the groundwork for an eventual transition of power from the Putin era.
This is not the first time ever, however, that speculation has been rife over Putin suffering from Parkinson’s. The former KGB operative, who otherwise has cultivated an athletic image in public, has been found having a ‘gunslinger’s gait’ -- a reduced right-arm swing compared to the left. Asymmetric arm swing is considered a classic sign of Parkinson’s and can manifest in “clinically intact subjects with a predisposition to later develop' the disease,” according to the British Medical Journal.
Kremlin critic Professor Valery Solovei said on Thursday, November 5, that besides Kabaeva, Putin’s daughters Maria Vorontsova and Katerina Tikhonova also advised him to quit the highly-demanding job. Saying the Russian president has Parkinson’s, Solovei told The Sun: “There is a family, it has a great influence on him. He intends to make public his handover plans in January.” He also said that a new prime minister will soon be appointed by the veteran leader and will be “groomed” before taking over.
Dmitry Peskov, Putin’s spokesman, said on the president’s senatorial shift that the practice is followed in many countries of the world and was not something innovative.
If Putin eventually steps down, he will be the second leader in recent months (after former Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe) to step down from the top office owing to health reasons.