Russian President Vladimir Putin hits retirement age tomorrow, but he appears determined to prove that 60 is the new 40.
In power since 1999 first as Prime Minister, then President, then Prime Minister and now President again, Putin has over the past decade sidelined opponents and in May triumphantly returned to the Kremlin for a historic third term.
As he turns 60 he may crucially be going into the most important battle of his lifetime: the one against time itself.
Faced with the growing oppos-ition movement against his rule, the Russian strongman has refused to step down and never ruled out running for another six-year Kremlin term in 2018.
In what critics say is a bid to prove he’s a man in his prime, Putin has over the past few years staged a series of age-defying stunts. He dived to the bottom of Lake Baikal aboard a submarine, flew a fighter jet, drove a Formula One car, rode a bobsled, paraded a well-toned chest on a holi-day in Siberia and most recently took to the controls of a hang-glider to fly with cranes in Siberia.
While maintaining such a good physique is no small feat by any standards, it is especially impressive in Russia where tobacco and alcohol abuse runs deep and men age quickly.
The general retirement age for men in Russia is 60, while average life expectancy for males stood at 62.8 years in 2009, the latest year for which the data are available at the state statistics service.
Putin’s supporters have repeatedly expressed admiration for the leader’s physical fitness, encouraging him to stay in power for as long as his health allows.
“Putin will be able to work for a very long time,” said Sergei Markov, a former lawmaker with the ruling United Russia party and a member of the national health commission at the Kremlin’s Public Chamber.
In a sign that Putin and his ageing team have no plans to leave the Kremlin any time soon, the President in September submitted a Bill to Parliament that would extend the retirement age for senior government officials to 70 from the 65 now.
Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the President’s busy work week precluded plans for any high-profile festivities. “He will celebrate his birthday among close friends and family.”
Yet there will be no shortage of admirers who will line up to congratulate Putin and shower him with lavish gifts.
The Governor of St Petersburg will help throw a concert in Putin’s honour in the President’s hometown which will also feature an exhibition of paintings dedicated to Putin, while pro-Kremlin activists will recite poetry in Moscow.
But opposition activists will jump at the opportunity to remind Putin he’s well over the hill. “I wish for Vladimir Vladimirovich to use his constitutional right to retire and write and publish an interesting memoir by the time he’s 65,” acclaimed detective novelist and opposition activist Boris Akunin said.
Critics say it is sad to see a man once praised for breathing a degree of self-confidence into post-Soviet Russia lose touch with reality. “I wish his mental health would catch up with his physical health,” said satirist and opposition commentator Viktor Shenderovich.
During unprecedented protests against Putin this past winter, many mocked Putin’s youthful looks with hand-made slogans emblazoned with the word ‘Botox’.
In response to the rallies the Kremlin pushed through tough legislation in a bid to cauterise dissent.
Some observers say the ultimate loser in Putin’s fight against time may be the whole of Russia. Even some of his staun-chest supporters admit that Putin’s third term lacks a clear agenda and appears aimed at retaining the status quo amid worsening infighting within the elite.
“There are a lot of questions he left unanswered,” said Olga Kryshtanovskaya, a sociologist who was until recently an active member of the ruling United Russia party.
“People need an explanation – why did he come back for a third term?” (AFP)