2020 Russian constitutional referendum
A constitutional referendum was held in Russia between 25 June and 1 July 2020.[1][2] President Vladimir Putin proposed the referendum during his address to the Federal Assembly on 15 January 2020.[3] The draft amendments to the constitution were submitted to a referendum in accordance with article 2 of the Law on Amendments to the Constitution.[4] The referendum is legally referred to as an "All-Russian vote" (Russian: общероссийское голосование, romanized: obshcherossiyskoye golosovaniye), for it is not held in accordance with the Federal Constitutional Law on the Referendum.
The amendments include sweeping changes to the constitution, including allowing Putin to run again for two more six-year presidential terms (which would allow him to potentially stay in power until 2036) and enshrining social measures on pensions and welfare state as well as conservative ones such as constitutionally banning same-sex marriage,[5] ensuring patriotic education in schools, and placing the constitution above international law.
Originally scheduled for 22 April 2020, the vote was postponed to a later date due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Russia.[6] It had been noted that the initial vote date coincided with the 150th anniversary of Vladimir Lenin's birth.[7][8] In-person voting at the polling stations was held from 25 June to 1 July, with 1 July being declared a day off as the actual voting date. Residents of Moscow and the Nizhny Novgorod Oblast could participate in the event remotely (electronically) from 25 to 30 June.[9][10][11]
According to official results, 79% of valid votes supported the changes to the constitution. Later that year, Putin accepted the results and signed them into law. Many international observers criticized the results of the referendum claiming widespread reports of irregularities such as: including voter coercion, multiple voting, violation of secrecy of the vote and allegations of police violence against a journalist who was present to observe. Further criticism is centered around the amendment that could extend Putin's presidency to 2036.[12][13]
Proposed adoption without a referendum[edit]
The Constitution of the Russian Federation was accepted on the national vote on 12 December 1993 and consists of nine chapters. The order of revision of Chapters 1, 2 and 9 is prescribed in Article 135 of the Constitution and requires the convening of the Constitutional Assembly for the adoption of the new Constitution. The procedure for amending Chapters 3 to 8 is defined in Article 136 and requires the adoption of the law on amendments to the Constitution of the Russian Federation according to a procedure similar to (but not identical due to the requirement of ratification of the amendment by regional legislative bodies) the adoption of a federal constitutional law.[30][31]
Several amendments have been made to the Constitution since its enactment. The largest were the amendments proposed in the 2008 Presidential message. Other amendments included an amendment to merge the Supreme and Supreme Arbitration Courts, as well as the amendment to appoint an additional group of Federation Council members ("representatives of the Russian Federation") by the President. The Constitution was also amended in connection with the formation or liquidation of the Federation's constituent entities, as well as with their renaming.[32]
Putin noted that Russia's parliament is legally capable of changing the Constitution, but he argued that a national vote is necessary to make the amendments legitimate.[33] While Putin said the package of amendments should be put to a nationwide vote, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the vote does not entail a referendum.[34] On 20 January 2020, Putin submitted a bill on constitutional amendments to the State Duma (the lower house of parliament).[35][36] The amendment of the Constitution proposed by Putin requires neither a referendum, nor convening of the Russian Constitutional Assembly.[37]