The Council of Europe makes a clear statement after a unanimous vote with its member states.
The background to this call for the 46 member states of the Council of Europe to no longer recognize Vladimir Putin as the legitimate president of the Russian Federation after the end of his current term of office is a resolution. It was voted unanimously that the Council of Europe should in future classify Russia as a de facto dictatorship. Furthermore, the 46 member states are to break off all contacts, with the exception of those for humanitarian aid and peace efforts.
Russia’s current president, Vladimir Putin, already has an arrest warrant from the International Court of Justice in The Hague.
Decision has several reasons
The background to the decision of the Council of Europe Assembly is above all the excessive power that Putin possesses due to his long period in office. In addition, there is a lack of any control, for example by a parliament, an independent judiciary or free media. In addition, reference is made to the suppression of opposition figures and Russia’s actions in Ukraine. Finally, Putin’s decision not to limit his term of office violates the Russian constitution and international legal principles.
Image: Kremlin.ru, Владимир Путин (27-04-2023), CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (image size modified)
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