Yeltsin Resigns, Names Putin Acting President — With Immunity Attached

Yeltsin resigned on 31 December 1999, making Putin acting president. Putin's first act in office, hours later, was to sign a decree granting Yeltsin and his family lifelong immunity from criminal prosecution and financial guarantees — shielding Yeltsin from corruption investigations, including into his family's links to the Mabetex bribery scandal, that had been building through the late 1990s. Putin went on to win the presidential election outright in March 2000.