From a legal point of view, President Vladimir Putin reportedly told his officials, July 1 is an impeccable date to conduct the vote on the changes to Russia’s constitution.
Initially the vote concerning amendments to the constitution was meant to be held on April 22 but was postponed due to the pandemic.
During the debate in the Duma over the Putin administration’s proposals, the number of changes almost doubled, which means that if they are introduced into the document, the length of the constitution will increase by half. The amendments will alter 46 articles.
The most important of these changes is removing presidential term limits, paving the way for the current president to hold the position for life. The Russian nation has also been decreed as “state-creating”.
With the amendments, the constitution would have a reference to God and a ban on “decreasing the importance of the nation’s effort in defense on the Homeland”. A responsibility to “secure historic truth” has also been added.
