LP-150 PUTIN’S FIFTH TERM: WHY PRESIDENTIAL POWER MUST REMAIN ACCOUNTABLE TO THE RUSSIAN PEOPLE — PUBLIC TRUST & ACCOUNTABILITY IN RUSSIA
LP-150 Putin’s Fifth Term Accountability Why must Vladimir Putin remain accountable to the Russian people? Applying LP-145 to Putin’s fifth term: reveals the gap between constitutional authority, democratic legitimacy and effective scrutiny of presidential power by public power - requiring constitutional accountability, scrutiny and answerability to the people. LP-145 can be applied to Vladimir Putin without assuming that Russia is presently a functioning liberal democracy. In fact, the framework becomes particularly useful precisely because it distinguishes the legal source of public power from the actual quality of democratic accountability in practice. The important qualification is that Putin's fifth term began after the March 2024 presidential election, but the legitimacy of that election and the surrounding political environment have been seriously questioned. The OSCE/ODIHR was not invited to observe the election and described the refusal as contrary to Russia's OSCE...
