FILE PHOTO: Russian President Vladimir Putin participates in a video conference with members of the working group on amendments to the Russian constitution at the Novo-Ogaryovo residence, on the outskirts of Moscow, Russia, July 3, 2020. Sputnik / Alexei Druzhinin / Kremlin via REUTERS
MOSCOW (Reuters) – President Vladimir Putin said on Sunday that constitutional amendments passed in a national vote created the conditions for Russia’s “progressive development” in the coming decades.
One of the changes approved in the weeklong vote that ended on July 1 makes it possible for Putin to seek two more terms as president and, if reelected, to remain in power until 2036.
Other changes grant former presidents immunity from prosecution, enshrine a reference in the constitution to God, offer pension protection, and define marriage as the union of a man and a woman.
Opponents said the vote was illegal and illegitimate, and an independent monitoring group said the vote was deeply flawed.
But Russian news agencies quoted Putin as saying: “I am absolutely convinced that we are doing the right thing by adopting amendments to the current constitution.”
“They will strengthen our nationality and create conditions for the progressive development of our country in the coming decades,” he said.
The Kremlin has praised the overwhelming vote in favor of the amendments as a triumph for Putin, who said on Friday that Russian society had shown unity by voting to support the reforms.
Reports by Maxim Rodionov, Timothy Heritage Edition
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