MOSCOW: Russians voting overwhelmingly for constitutional changes allowing Vladimir Putin to run again for president twice and stay in power until 2036.
Official results showed that Putin who has ruled Russia for more than two decades as president or prime minister easily won the right to run for two more six-year terms after the current one ends in 2024. This means Putin, aged 67, could rule until the age of 83.
The Central Election Commission said 78% of votes counted across the world’s largest country had supported changing the constitution, while over 21% had voted against. The turnout of the vote was 65%. Ella Pamfilova, head of the commission, said the vote had been transparent and that officials had done everything to ensure its integrity.
Putin’d[ political opponent Alexei Navalny called the vote an illegitimate and illegal show designed to legalise Putin’s presidency for life. “We’ll never recognise this result,” Navalny told supporters.
Navalny said the opposition would not protest for now because of the novel coronavirus pandemic, but would do so in big numbers in the autumn if candidates were blocked from taking part in regional elections or their results were falsified.
The vote seeks to introduce amendments to Russia’s 1993 Constitution, which will include protecting the institution of marriage, setting children as a priority of Russia’s domestic policy and an obligation to support and protect Russia’s culture.
Russians had been encouraged to back Putin’s power move with prize draws offering flats and an ad campaign highlighting other constitutional amendments in the same reform bundle such as pensions protection. The vote was held over seven days to try to limit the spread of the virus.
Putin made no mention of how the changes could affect his own career in an eve-of-vote speech on Tuesday and said he has yet to decide on his future.
With Russia reporting thousands of new COVID-19 cases each day, opponents have been unable to stage protests but have mocked the vote online.
A small group of activists staged a symbolic protest on Red Square using their prostrate bodies to form the date 2036 before being swiftly detained by police.
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