Putin wins Russia vote that could let him rule until 2036

Putin wins Russia vote that could let him rule until 2036

PanARMENIAN.Net - The Kremlin and its supporters have won a controversial vote to amend the constitution and reset President Vladimir Putin’s term limits, potentially allowing him to rule as president until 2036, The Guardian reports.

The ad-hoc vote, which did not fulfil legal criteria to be a referendum, saw 77.93% of voters endorse constitutional amendments, with 21.26% against the changes, and 99.9% of the ballots counted. Turnout was 64.99%, the election commission said.

The results will allow the Kremlin to say that a vast majority of Russians back Putin’s continued rule beyond 2024, the year that until now marked the end of his fourth and final term as president. Ads for the vote barely mentioned that it would reset term limits for Putin.

In a single up-or-down vote, Russians also chose to support a package of amendments that include pension and minimum wage boosts, a modest reorganisation of government, a constitutional mention of “faith in God”, a ban on gay marriage, exhortations to preserve Russian language and history, and a ban on top officials holding dual citizenship.

The vote was the final step to incorporating the amendments into the constitution. They have already been reviewed by Russia’s supreme court and backed by regional lawmakers.

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