Changes in the constitution, which will allow President Vladimir Putin to double re-election to the highest office, were supported by 77.9 percent of the referendum and 21.27 percent were against. The Commission also states that the turnout was 65 percent, indicating that, according to official figures, about half of the approximately 110 million of all Russian voters supported the amendment of the Basic Law.
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Changes to the Basic Law will allow Putin to be re-elected even after the expiration of his current term in 2024, for a further two-year terms. He could remain in power until May 2036.
The referendum began on June 25 and ended on Wednesday at 8 pm local time for each time zone. At the same time, the authorities began to publish partial results at a time when voting was still taking place in the western parts of the vast country. The opposition questioned the interim results of the vote.
The chairwoman of the Central Election Commission, Ella Pamfilov, said on Wednesday, the last day of the vote, but said no serious violations of the referendum had been identified, only “certain provocations” had occurred. Today, the Ministry of the Interior stated that “thanks to the measures taken” there was no violation of the law.
Take a look at the extensive gallery from the poll:
However, there were, for example, warnings about the possibility of double voting – in person at the polling station and then electronically. The police subsequently “shed” light on the author of the warning, who did it himself in order to prove this possibility. Western media have also reported cases of pressure on voters.
Putin, who initiated the first major reform of the constitution since its adoption in a January speech to MPs, called on voters on Tuesday to go to the polls and vote to support the “stability, security and prosperity” of the country. The vote was originally scheduled for April 22, but had to be postponed due to the covid-19 pandemic.
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