Vladimir Putin in power until 2036? Russia is in the process of adopting a constitutional reform which could allow the Russian president to remain in the Kremlin until the year of his 84 years. The Russians will know in a few hours if the reform initiated by Vladimir Putin is adopted.

The referendum, which should validate this project, started on June 25 and ends on Wednesday July 1. Initial results will be known shortly after 6 p.m. GMT. According to critics of the Russian head of state, this election aims to perpetuate his stranglehold on Russia after 20 years of power.

The vote, scheduled for April, was postponed due to the coronavirus epidemic and spread over a week to avoid excessive crowds at polling stations without undermining participation. 

Putin called on Russians to vote

There is hardly any doubt as to the outcome. The reforms were approved by the legislature earlier this year, and the new text of the Constitution is already on sale in bookstores.

Vladimir Putin on Tuesday addressed 110 million voters to call on them to guarantee "stability, security and prosperity" for a country he claims to have rebuilt after the chaos that followed the fall of the USSR.

"Russia's sovereignty depends on our sense of responsibility," he added. Vladimir Putin, however, did not refer to the most significant amendment, that which allows him to stay in the Kremlin until 2036, the year of his 84th birthday. Under the rule of law, he should have retired from the presidency in 2024, at the end of the current mandate. In June, he deemed this change necessary so that the country does not get lost in "a quest for potential successors".

In addition to the issue of terms of office, the amendments strengthen certain presidential prerogatives, such as the appointment and dismissal of judges. Added to this are societal measures such as the incorporation in the Constitution of "faith in God" and of marriage as a heterosexual institution. Social principles are also included, like indexed pensions and guaranteed minimum wages.

Suspicions of fraud and pressure on the vote, according to an NGO 

Opponents of the Kremlin, in particular Alexei Navalny, were unable to campaign due to the confinement and because they considered the referendum to be fraudulent and intended only to guarantee Vladimir Putin "a presidency for life" .

The number two of American diplomacy Stephen Biegun also noted that "many consider" that the vote "will lead to the de facto extension of his power for life". 

According to critics of the system, the authorities have multiplied the tricks to ensure resounding success and strong participation. The most unusual aspect was the installation of makeshift polling stations outside, in the courtyards, sports or playgrounds, without much respect for the secrecy of the vote or adequate surveillance of the ballot boxes.

The aim of the maneuver, according to the opposition, is not to protect the electorate from the new coronavirus, but to create a tailor-made result. The NGO observing the Golos elections, hated by the authorities, also denounced pressure on officials and companies on their employees to push them to vote. It has also documented cases of multiple votes.

"Voters have told us frankly that their work has forced them to come," said the assessor at a polling station in northwest Russia, speaking on condition of anonymity. When questioned on the subject, Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov spoke of "isolated problems" but said that they "do not threaten the credibility of the results of the ballot".

With AFP

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