Opposition leader encourages boycott, calling vote 'illegal, pointless and dangerous for your health'
Russian President Vladimir Putin Putin addresses the nation in Moscow, Russia, Tuesday, June 23, 2020.Russians on Thursday will begin casting their ballots in a seven-day vote on sweeping reforms that could clear the way for President Vladimir Putin to stay in the Kremlin until 2036 if re-elected, an exercise that critics call a constitutional coup.
If, as expected, the constitutional changes are approved, Putin would be able to run for two more back-to-back six-year terms after his current one expires in 2024. “Since the president did not find a successor, he appointed himself,” said Andrei Kolesnikov, a senior fellow at Carnegie’s Moscow Center think tank.
Experts from state pollster VTsIOM have forecast that 67% to 71% of voters will endorse the constitutional changes anyway. Kremlin critics say the vote is a sham they fear will be falsified.“Voting on the amendments is illegal, pointless and dangerous for your health,” Navalny wrote before the vote.Story continues below advertisement
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