New amendments, introducing the mention of God in the Constitution and fixing the principle that a marriage is possible only between a man and a woman, were submitted to the Russian Parliament by Vladimir Poutine, announced the president of the Duma , Viatcheslav Volodine, this Monday.
Vladimir Putin announced in January that Russia would amend its 1993 constitution, an initiative widely regarded as aimed at organizing after 2024, the year when its fourth and final presidential term ends.
"Faith in God" of the Russians introduced into the Constitution
These constitutional amendments were adopted unanimously by the deputies at first reading but Vladimir Putin submitted 24 additional pages of amendments before the second reading, the most important, scheduled for March 10, announced Vyacheslav Volodin. "The president's amendments are the result of his dialogue with representatives of all factions and of civil society," he said in a statement issued by the Duma, the lower house of the Russian parliament. These amendments provide for the inclusion of the “faith in God” of the Russians in the Constitution and stipulate that a marriage is the union of a man and a woman, said Deputy Speaker Piotr Tolstoy.
"I think that most of the proposals that have been discussed have been taken into account," he said. These new amendments also prohibit portions of Russian territory from being given to foreign states and make any call or action illegal. According to actor Vladimir Machkov, member of the working group formed by the Kremlin to work on constitutional reform, this amendment would make it possible to guarantee that the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea, annexed in 2014, or the Kuril Islands disputed with Japan, remain Russian even after the departure of Vladimir Putin.
Half of Russians support re-election of Vladimir Putin
The Russian president had raised the idea of fixing the principle of prohibiting same-sex marriage in mid-February, during a meeting with a working group tasked with working on the changes. The majority of the amendments voted by the Duma at first reading were of a more institutional nature, aiming in particular at strengthening the presidential powers. A “popular vote” with outlines still unclear must be organized on April 22 to adopt these changes.
Last week, between 10,500 people according to the police and 22,000 according to an NGO demonstrated in memory of the opponent murdered five years ago Boris Nemtsov, but also to protest against these constitutional reforms. According to a recent survey by the independent Levada center, only 25% of Russians are ready to vote in favor of constitutional changes, while 65% say they don't understand what they mean. Those questioned are divided on the president's future: 44% want him to leave power after 2024, 45% want him to stay. According to analysts, the societal changes that the president proposes to introduce into the Constitution are a means of convincing the Russians to take part.
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