During his annual state of the union address, Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed constitutional changes which could extend his stay in power past the end of his 2024 presidential term. Following Putin's proposed constitutional changes on Wednesday, the entire government resigned and Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev stepped down from his post.

Some speculate that Putin plans to shift the prime minister's position next in order to remain in a leadership role. Putin emphasized that a nationwide vote must take place before any changes to the constitution take place.

AFP spoke with political analyst Dmitry Oreshkin, who said Putin's speech made it clear he was pondering the move to premiership. Oreshkin told AFP, "Putin is advancing the idea of keeping his authority as a more powerful and influential prime minister while the presidency will become more decorative."

Putin has been in power longer than any Russian leader since Josef Stalin, who led the country from 1924 to 1953.