Putin Restarts 'Lifetime Presidency' Despite COVID-19... 'Constitutional Amendment Referendum on the 1st of Next Month'

[Asia Economy Reporter Naju-seok] Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, Russian President Vladimir Putin's plan for lifelong rule has been reactivated.

[Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

On the 1st (local time), President Putin announced that the constitutional amendment referendum, postponed due to COVID-19, will be held on the 1st of next month. The referendum was originally scheduled for April 22, but was delayed as COVID-19 spread within Russia. President Putin confirmed this schedule through a video conference with the Russian Central Election Commission and others.

The Russian Central Election Commission introduced that, to prevent the spread of COVID-19, the referendum will be conducted over the course of a week. Accordingly, the constitutional amendment referendum will begin on the 25th of this month, with the final voting day on the 1st of next month being the official voting day.

President Putin said, "Overall, we worked hard to solve the biggest problems and were able to prevent the current situation from heading toward the worst-case scenario," adding, "Thanks to this, we can return to normal life." He also expressed hope that "the Russian people will actively participate in the constitutional amendment referendum as much as possible."

Russia has implemented lockdown policies for the past two months to curb the spread of COVID-19. The Russian Central Election Commission and others plan to conduct voting safely over a week with safety measures in place.

If the constitutional amendment passes, President Putin will have the path open to serve as president until 2036. The current Russian constitution prohibits a president from serving three consecutive terms. Therefore, Putin's current term ends in 2024. However, the amendment includes provisions that adjust presidential powers and nullify the existing term limit clauses. Because of this, after his current term, Putin can run again in a new presidential election and potentially extend his tenure.

The amendment has already been approved by the Russian parliament as well as the Constitutional Court.

However, the situation is not better than the originally planned April referendum. Due to COVID-19, oil prices have plummeted, causing a significant blow to the Russian economy.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.