Vladimir Putin may step down next year because of health reasons, claims report

The speculation comes at a time when Russian lawmakers have submitted a legislation that would grant former presidents lifetime immunity from criminal prosecution.

Russian President Vladimir Putin may step down early 2021 as he has possible symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease, reports claimed.Analysts have gone through the recent footages of Putin and noted that the 68-year-old president appears to be in pain; with his legs moving constantly and fingers twitching.

“There is a family, it has a great influence on him. He intends to make public his handover plans in January,” Moscow political scientist Professor Valery Solovei has told The Sun.

Speculations are rife that gymnast Alina Kabaeva, Putin’s rumoured long-time lover, and his two daughters Maria Vorontsova and Katerina Tikhonova are urging him to step down and take care of his health.

The speculation comes at a time when Russian lawmakers have submitted a legislation that would grant former presidents lifetime immunity from criminal prosecution .

At present, president can’t be held liable for crimes as long as they hold the office. A parliamentary working group, assessing Putin’s constitutional reforms, proposed to extend this immunity beyond their terms of office.

Putin, who has been ruling for two decades either as prime minister or president, is slated to be in power till 2014. He has recently proposed constitutional reforms which could keep him in power until 2036. Nearly 78 per cent of Russian voters backed constitutional reforms, which also include a ban on same-sex marriage.