Alex Christoforou
The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of this site. This site does not give financial, investment or medical advice.
The Duran’s Alex Christoforou and Editor-in-Chief Alexander Mercouris discuss the results of the Russian vote on constitutional amendments.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated on Thursday that the result was a clear sign of the Russian people’s trust in president Putin.
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Russian President Vladimir Putin thanked Russians on Thursday for taking part in the vote on constitutional amendments.
“I want to express my gratitude to the Russian citizens, I want to say thank you very much for your support and trust,” Putin said at a meeting of the Pobeda (Victory) organising committee.
Russia’s political system and the economy are still at the formative stage since not so much time has passed since the collapse of the Soviet Union, “by historical standards,” the president added, stressing that time is needed to strengthen the national stability.
“I understand the citizens who have voted against. Many problems remain unsolved, this is true. People often face injustice, unkindness and indifference. Many people face hardships, and we, the government, often think we are doing everything possible, while this is not exactly so … We often fall short of our targets, we should more quickly, precisely and efficiently,” Putin said.
According to Russia’s Central Election Commission, 77.92 percent of Russians supported the amendments, 21.27 percent voted against them, and the turnout totalled 67.97 percent.
The nationwide vote on constitutional amendments was originally planned for April 22 but had to be postponed over the threat of COVID-19. It was later officially scheduled for July 1 with six additional voting days to avoid the spread of the disease.
Russia’s Constitutional Changes
Russian President Vladimir Putin offered important changes to the constitution in his address to the parliament in mid-January. After both chambers of the Russian parliament passed the bill, an all-Russian vote on the amendments had to take place.
The nationwide vote on constitutional amendments was originally planned for 22 April, but had to be postponed due to the threat of COVID-19. It took place 1 July, with six additional voting days to avoid the spread of the disease.
The amendments are a sweeping set of changes to Russia’s basic law, which include protecting the institution of marriage as the union of a man and a woman, setting children as a priority of Russia’s domestic policy, and many others. The previous version of the constitution was adopted by nationwide voting on 12 December 1993 after the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Former Russian President Boris Yeltsin imposed the 1993 constitution literally at gunpoint, after he sent tanks to shell the parliament.
The proposed changes include:
- Social and Economic Reform
One of the most longed-for amendments among the Russian population was the one that would “match minimum wage with the minimum standard cost of living”, which in Russia is calculated by the sum of baseline monthly utility bills, as well as grocery and essential non-food expenses.
With regard to pensions, the amendments provide for an annual indexation to keep payments compatible with inflation rates. The indexation will also be applied to social benefit payments.
The new constitution includes an amendment about protecting the institution of marriage as the union of a man and a woman, setting children as a priority in the country’s domestic policy, and an obligation to support and protect the culture as the unique heritage of Russia’s multi-ethnic people.
- National Identity Reform
”The Russian Federation honours the memory of defenders of the Fatherland and protects historical truth. Diminishing the significance of the people’s heroism in defending the Fatherland is not permitted”, the text of the new law says.
The proposed changes also aim to protect Russia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, prohibiting any attempts or calls to alienate part of its territory.
Another amendment establishes the status of the Russian language as the language of a nation-forming nation.
- Power Reform
The amendments envision a limit of two six-year terms for the president of the Russian Federation, regardless of whether they were served back-to-back.
The amendment also specifies its non-applicability to the incumbent president’s previous terms and, therefore, allows him to run for another two terms, should he choose to do so.
The State Duma now has the right to approve a candidate for prime minister of the Russian Federation proposed by the president. The president will then appoint the approved candidate.
According to another amendment, lawmakers, cabinet ministers, judges, and other federal-level officials are banned from holding dual citizenship or permanent residency abroad.
The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of this site. This site does not give financial, investment or medical advice.
i myself can breath…..easier…..having someone sane at the helm….
Alexander, you have mixed feelings about what, precisely? The German chancellor has no term limits. Angela can go on ruling for life, as long as she maintains a winning election margin. How is that okay, and democratic, but Putin staying in office for two more years isn’t? Russia was in tatters prior to Putin’s era. He has brought her back to life, but the work he has started is far from complete. It’s no wonder at all that so many Russians – and the United Russia party in particular – want him to stick around. Whether or not he will… Read more »
@ Hauel I agree with all you say. President Putin is clearly a man of his time who has rescued the Russian people from becoming serfs to the Western Neo Liberal Global Looting Project. The next decade ( hopefully sooner !) may well see the demise of the US Empire of Terror, BUT the intervening period requires a man of outstanding stature and probity. President Putin has proved himself to be of such calibre, and although there are certainly other citizens of Russia with those qualities, it is a reality that the Western political and military clowns greatly FEAR a… Read more »
Yes! Excellent! No “Nest-Beschmutzers” needed in the Russian Federation (= those shitting in their own nest).
”The Russian Federation honours the memory of defenders of the Fatherland and protects historical truth. Diminishing the significance of the people’s heroism in defending the Fatherland is not permitted”, the text of the new law says.
Russians voting is an oxymoron.
You do not even understand the concept well enough to have used the term correctly.
Yes, ‘moron’ is the correct term to describe you.
I would love Vladimir Putin to be prime minister of Ireland. Maybe if i asked nicely…..
Maybe, maybe he will come to Ireland in 2036 to be your Prime Minister, when he goes into pension in Russia? He will be 84 then. Just the right age, and with plenty of experience …
A collections of monkeys from the zoo would be intellectually superior to the idiots who have just made themselves our government.
He’d be a huge improvement on the coalition of morons who have just declared themselves the government of Ireland.
Western leadership is the worst in its history.
Arrogant, venal, criminal, corrupt, irredeemably ignorant, incorrigibly deluded and ideologically driven.
We need a Bismarck or a Metternich, and what we get is Macron, May, Merkel, Trudeau.
The best a nation of 330 million has to offer is the current Orange Faggot incumbent, or a geriatric who can’t keep his groping hands to himself.
If only we had people of the calibre of Putin, Lavrov, Xi, or Zarif.
You left out Boris.
Trash isn’t worth mentioning.
As the goal of society should be for everyone having a desire to achieve equality by passing their excessive wealth down to those who have less, the most corrupt thing on earth is for Empires USA, China and Russia to be ruled by billionaires.
I have always been stuck on Edgar Cayce’s prophecy made in 1944: “In Russia there comes the hope of the world, not as that sometimes termed of the communistic, or Bolshevik, no; but freedom, freedom!” Could this be through Putin? I have believed so for many years.
I am so glad that the Russian people feel the same way and probably the majority of the world’s population envies them. Every dog has its day and it’s Russia’s time now to lead us to a better world.
Russia is a blessed country. Even the Soviet Union, very much slighted and badmouthed in the West, had its merits. In the Soviet Union, all workers got paid. This was not the case in Imperial Russia, where serfs slaved away without pay, often in very bad living conditions. Furthermore, the Soviet Union and its famous Red Army saved Europe from Hitler’s fascism. So, yes, the Soviet Union was also “hope for the world”.