A woman casts her vote in a referendum on constitutional reforms, at a polling station in the Far Eastern city of Vladivostok, Russia, on June 25, 2020. (Photo by AFP)
People in Russia have started voting in a referendum on constitutional reforms that would allow President Vladimir Putin to potentially remain in power until 2036.
Polling stations opened for some 110 million Russians on Thursday morning, ahead of the official July 1 date in a bid to avoid overcrowding that could spread the coronavirus disease.
The constitutional changes would allow President Putin, 67, two more six-year terms if re-elected. Under the current constitution written in 1993, Putin is banned from seeking re-election when his mandate ends in 2024.
The incumbent has dominated the Russian political landscape for the past 20 years as either president or prime minister.
The changes would also expand the parliaments powers and ban senior officials from having a residence permit in other countries, among other stipulations.
The reforms have already been approved by both houses of the Russian parliament as well as regional parliaments.
Some 67-71 percent of the voters are expected to endorse the reforms, according to the Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VTsIOM).
The referendum was originally scheduled for April 22 but was postponed by the Kremlin as COVID-19 infections soared and officials imposed restrictions to slow the epidemic. As of Wednesday, some 600,000 Russian had tested positive for the contagious disease, the third-highest in the world.
According to officials, masks and disinfectants are made available to voters across the country, from the Kaliningrad exclave on the Baltic Sea to Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky on the Pacific Ocean.
SOURCE: PRESS TV
LINK: https://www.ansarpress.com/english/18868
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