Russia’s Putin Can Rule Till 2036, Voters Say
By Stefan J. Bos, Special Correspondent Worthy News
(Worthy News) – Russia’s long-ruling President Vladimir Putin could remain in power until 2036 after voters backed controversial changes to the constitution, official results showed Wednesday.
But independent observers were quick to point out that the weeklong referendum, which ended Wednesday, was overshadowed by widespread irregularities such as pressure on voters.
With most of the nation’s polls closed first results showed that 7 out of every 10 voters backed the constitutional amendments.
Kremlin critics said the government also manipulated the outcome by keeping polls open for a week, for the first time in Russia’s post-communist history.
A massive propaganda campaign and the opposition’s failure to mount a coordinated challenge helped Putin get the result he wanted, analysts said.
Putin, who voted in Moscow, has been in power for more than two decades. That is longer than any other Kremlin leader since Soviet dictator Josef Stalin.
The 67-year-old said he would decide later whether to run again in 2024. Putin offered to broaden the powers of parliament and redistribute authority among the branches of government.
Commentators suggested that he might seek to become a parliamentary speaker or chairman of the State Council when his presidential term ends in 2024.
Wednesday’s outcome of the referendum comes despite signs of economic difficulties. It also comes shortly after the European Union announced extensive new sanctions against Russia over its military role in Ukraine, where it annexed the Crimean Peninsula and supported pro-Russian separatists in the east of the country.
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