A Russian Communist lawmaker has advised Vladimir Putin to resign mere months into his latest presidential term to avoid being ousted in a violent overthrow.
Putin, who was re-elected to his fourth term in office in March, has seen his trustworthiness levels drop by 20 percentage points over the past year. Observers have linked the drop to a newly signed law that will delay retirement age for working Russians by five years.
“Putin needs not to wait to be dragged out feet-first, but follow my lead and step down,” Vasily Kislitsin, a deputy in southern Russia’s Kurgan region, was quoted as saying Tuesday.
The Znak.com news website reported that Kislitsyn, 66, resigned after 20 years as the regions’ party secretary.
“Putin and I are the same age, that’s why I have a special wish for him,” the outlet quoted him as saying two days after the Russian president turned 66.
