Putin’s rise to Russian President was extremely rapid and rather unexpected. On December 31st 1999, Yeltsin unexpectedly resigned which, according to the constitution, dictated that Putin became Acting President of the Russian Federation overnight. The very first decree that Putin signed was “On guarantees for former president of the Russian Federation and members of his family”. This decree, signed on December 31st 1999, stipulated that “corruption charges against the outgoing President and his relatives” would not be pursued by anyone. On February 12th 2001, Putin signed a federal law which replaced the first decree which stipulated that former presidents and their families could not be investigated on corruption charges. This was a rather strategic move as 1999 saw investigations into Yeltsin and his family by the Russian and Swiss authorities over charges related to money-laundering.
Yeltsin’s opponents had been preparing for an election in June 2000 but Yeltsin’s sudden resignation led to the elections being held early. Putin had led strip lights 12v shining on his fortune as he won the first round of the Presidential elections.
