The constitutional amendments have been supported by 77.92% of Russians who took part in the nationwide vote, the Central Election Commission (CEC) said after counting 100% of ballots.
According to the election commission, 21.27% of voters were opposed to the amendments. According to the latest data, the turnout was 65%, TASS reported.
The nationwide vote on the constitutional amendments ended in Russia at 21:00 Moscow time on Wednesday. The official voting day under the presidential decree was July 1, but due to the coronavirus situation the voting period was extended for a week, from June 25 through July 1. Vote counting began in regions after 20:00 local time on July 1, when polling stations closed.
The amendments will come into force if supported by more than one half of those who took part in the vote. There is no minimum voter turnout.
The vote was initially set to take place on April 22, however, Putin chose to postpone it due to the situation with the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in Russia. During a working session earlier, Putin approved July 1, 2020, as the new date for the vote.
The document proposes to expand the powers of the Russian parliament and the Russian Constitutional Court, a fixed number of presidential terms, as well as the prevalence of the Russian Constitution over international agreements. The document also expands the government’s obligations in the social sphere. The amendments to the Constitution stipulate that the Russian head of state can only serve two terms, however, one of the amendments proposes that the current president can be re-elected if the new version of the Constitution comes into force.
