Pamfilova complained that in 2024 there were “hysterical machinations of ill-wishers”
Vladimir Putin took an important step towards taking office – on Tuesday he acquired a document certifying his presidential powers for period until 2030. In everyday life, the head of state does not need a certificate; it is more of a souvenir – it will be kept in a wooden box in the Kremlin office. Putin now has five such boxes in total.
Russian presidents inherited the practice of presenting certificates from the general secretaries of the Central Committee. This continuity can be clearly seen under Gorbachev, whose presidential card is almost in no way different (except perhaps by the disappearance of the abbreviation “CPSU” and the slogan “Workers of all countries, unite!”) from the Secretary General’s. Under Yeltsin, the tricolor and silhouettes of the symbols of the highest power – the Senate and the Spasskaya Tower – appeared in the design of the “crust”. And the presentation of the certificate becomes part of the inauguration ceremony: it was solemnly handed over to the elected head of state by the chairman of the Central Election Commission.
However, already in Vladimir Putin’s second term, this order is changing. For an unknown reason, the head of the Central Election Commission was excluded from the number of people participating in the swearing-in of the president. This means that the certificate had to be presented either before the inauguration or immediately after it. However, Ella Pamfilova, having become the chairman of the Central Election Commission, decided to separate these procedures in time and space. In 2018, Vladimir Putin acquired his ID on April 3 in his office. In 2024, the handover of the red-skinned book took place there on April 16. (The inauguration, like 6 years ago, is scheduled for May 7 in the Grand Kremlin Palace.)
“Vladimir Vladimirovich, allow me to present you with a certificate,” Ella Pamfilova addressed Putin, lifting from the table the massive wooden box that she had brought with her. The President looked into the box, but did not immediately pick up the ID (the corresponding photo was later distributed by the Kremlin press service). Putin thanked the chairman of the Central Election Commission and her colleagues for the work done. “It was difficult, but very important for the country, for the internal stability of the state, especially today,” he said.
Ella Pamfilova turned out to be more talkative – she decided to share her assessment of the situation with the head of state. “This is not just a presidential choice, but in fact some important stage in the battle for Russia,” she said. The head of the Central Election Commission complained that in 2024 there were “hysterical machinations of ill-wishers” and simply “indecent interference in the process.” Through the hands of “Ukrainian accomplices sitting in Kyiv,” the West practically organized terror, trying to disrupt the elections. But the people rallied, the turnout was high, and the election results themselves, according to the chairman of the Central Election Commission, were “amazing.” “We have created an unprecedentedly transparent, open system. It is very stable and shows what is really happening. Now it’s more and more difficult to lie, make fakes, that is, to oppose this,” Pamfilova summed up. Vladimir Putin reacted with restraint to this fiery speech and accusations against ill-wishers. “Thank you very much and to all your colleagues,” he repeated.
Old-style ID card… 
…and new.
The wooden box brought by Pamfilova will apparently add to the collection already stored in the Kremlin. The presidential certificate itself has a purely symbolic meaning: its use is not regulated in any way. Although the history of world politics knows cases when the head of state was not recognized by his subjects and had to confirm his powers, such an incident will definitely not happen to Vladimir Putin.
Nevertheless, the CEC takes the presidential ID very seriously: before each election, the commission approves its description and layout. The last resolution was adopted on November 22, 2023. It says that the certificate has a burgundy leather cover with the coat of arms of the Russian Federation and the gilded inscription “President of the Russian Federation.” Its size is classic – 10 by 7 cm. On the left inner side there is an image of the Moscow Kremlin as the main official residence and a photograph of the head of state measuring 3 by 4 cm. On the right inner side the surname, first name and patronymic of the elected president, the term for which he was elected are indicated , and also the signature of the head of the Central Election Commission is affixed.
The author of this layout should be recognized as Pamfilova’s predecessor, Vladimir Churov, who in 2012 redesigned the ID card issued to Dmitry Medvedev. It was then that the tricolor introduced under Yeltsin finally disappeared from the design of the “crust” and a realistic image of the Kremlin, as well as holograms, appeared. In 2018 and 2024, the format of the ID did not change.
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