6 months ago
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The inauguration ceremony, attended by dozens of dignitaries and distinguished guests, is being held at the Grand Kremlin Palace
Russian President-elect Vladimir Putin is set to take the oath of office at a ceremony at the Kremlin in Moscow on Tuesday, after securing his fifth term in the highest office with a record 87.28% of the vote in March.
The inauguration ceremony takes place at the Kremlin Grand Palace, a 19th-century building that towers over the Kremlin walls, which has served as the centerpiece during official receptions for Russian leaders from Nicholas II to Joseph Stalin, to the current president.
Dozens of dignitaries, including senior officials from parliament and the constitutional court, will attend. The heads of all foreign diplomatic missions accredited in Moscow – including those from ‘unfriendly states’ – were also invited, as required by protocol. Other distinguished guests received invitations for holding high merits or representing major religions in Russia.
After taking the 33-word oath to serve the Russian people, which is enshrined in the country’s constitution, Putin will be officially declared the president of Russia for the next six years.
07 May 2024
09:15 GMT
Putin has started his inauguration address, thanking fellow citizens in all regions, including residents in Russia’s “historical lands who defended their right to be together with their motherland.” He was apparently referring to four former Ukrainian territories that voted overwhelmingly to join Russia in 2022.
09:07 GMT
Putin took the presidential oath while placing his hand on the Russian Constitution. “I swear in exercising the powers of the president of the Russian Federation to respect and protect the rights and freedoms of every citizen, to respect and defend the Constitution of the Russian Federation, to protect the sovereignty and independence, security and integrity of the state, to faithfully serve the people,” Putin stated.
After taking the oath, he was officially proclaimed president of Russia, ushering in his fifth term in office.
09:02 GMT
Putin has arrived at the Grand Kremlin Palace where he was saluted by the Kremlin superintendent, and entered St. Andrew Hall where he will deliver his inaugural address.
08:58 GMT
The presidential motorcade has left for the Grand Kremlin Palace, with Putin in the Aurus Senate presidential limousine.
08:42 GMT
The presidential inauguration ceremony has begun. Kremlin guards are bringing the presidential banner and the national tricolor into the hall.
08:41 GMT
Putin’s inauguration has triggered a significant rift between EU members, Spiegel has reported, noting that countries such as France, Hungary, and Slovakia have sent representatives to the ceremony “to keep channels of communication [with Russia] open.”
Others, including Germany, have deemed participation “inappropriate” amid the standoff over Ukraine, the article stated. EU representatives won’t attend the inauguration either, officials in Brussels have said.
08:38 GMT
Russian State Duma Chairman Vyacheslav Volodin has said he is sure that the population has rallied around Putin and that this consolidation will lead the nation to new victories.
According to Volodin, Putin has proven his devotion to the country through his decades in office, adding that under his leadership, Russia “has gone through a difficult path of revival and development, becoming a strong, sovereign state.”
08:29 GMT
The first guests have already arrived for Putin's inauguration, which is scheduled to begin at 12pm Moscow time (9am GMT). The event will be attended by members of the government, Russian lawmakers, senior members of the presidential administration, judges of the Constitutional Court, members of the Central Election Commission and representatives of the diplomatic corps.
Other attendees include recipients of the country’s most prestigious state awards, such as Hero of Russia, representatives of religious denominations, members of the business community, and the president’s confidants.
08:18 GMT
A special copy of the Russian Constitution has been prepared for the presidential inauguration, which includes the amendments adopted in 2020 and 2022, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. In particular, the first set of amendments “nullified” Putin’s previous terms, while the second officially incorporated four former Ukrainian regions into Russia after they voted overwhelmingly to join the country.
According to Peskov, the new copy of the constitution was printed by the Izvestia publishing house, while the old one will be handed over to the presidential library.
07:53 GMT
Russia conducts democratic processes such as presidential elections and inaugurations “not in order to report to the West” or for Western countries “to appreciate, love, or hate us,” Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in an interview with TASS.
These processes are aimed at making Russia a more prosperous and secure country and preserving its cultural heritage, she stressed.
“Unfortunately, more than once in the history of our interaction [with the West], when we extended a hand of friendship, it was met with a bloody hand. We have learned this lesson well, and accordingly we focus on our own national interests,” Zakharova added.
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