Constitutional referendum in Russia: the "yes" largely in mind

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Unsurprisingly, Russian voters voted on Wednesday July 1 in favor of the constitutional amendments that will notably allow Vladimir Putin to run for two new terms.

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Although still provisional, the results of the referendum on the Constitution are final: 73.55% of the voters voted favorably for the reforms wanted by Vladimir Putin, with a participation of more than 50%. They correspond to what was expected in this poll organized despite the coronavirus.

These results relate to 26.55% of the polling stations distributed over the vast Russian territory and distributed by the Central Election Commission, while the last polling stations closed at 8 p.m. local time (6 p.m. UT) in the enclave of Kaliningrad, after a week of voting.

The main issue in this vote was the possibility for Vladimir Putin to serve two new terms and to remain in power if he so wished until 2036. However, there was little discussion during the campaign, supporters of the " yes ”preferring to insist on the traditional conservative values ​​which will be enshrined henceforth in the Constitution.

Opponents of this reform are dismayed. This consternation was palpable this Wednesday evening on Pushkin Square in Moscow where several hundred people had met, reports our correspondent Daniel Vallot. "This vote is illegal", denounced a demonstrator who hopes a massive mobilization in the street from the next school year. Difficult indeed, she explained, to assemble at the present time because of the coronavirus and the ban on assemblies, still in force despite the lifting of the confinement. 

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• Russia
• Vladimir Poutine