Russia's Central Election Commission says that 78% of Russia's voters have just backed an amendment that would allow President Vladimir Putin to run for two more terms, allowing him to remain president until 2036.
According to the preliminary results made public on Thursday, the voter turnout was about 65 percent. About 78 percent voted 'yes' to the amendments, while 21 percent voted against them. The vote was originally supposed to take place back in April, but was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
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While Russia's C.E.C. says that the voting process was "transparent" with officials doing everything in their power to ensure "integrity," critics like the opposition's Alexei Navalny are calling the vote "illegal and illegitimate", hoping that Russians will take to the streets in the Fall if final election results are falsified.
"Why should we exchange a president for another president? He'll come and not know [what to do]," Lyudmila Trukacheva, 67, said after voting. "Putin's sensible, smart. He's an Orthodox person."
Check out more details on Politico.