On July 1, Russia will stage a referendum that will pave the way for Vladimir Putin to extend his rule over the country until 2036. While the referendum is being officially positioned as a vote on a series of constitutional amendments, only the most credulous of observers would doubt that the true purpose of the exercise is to prolong Putin’s reign indefinitely. Nor is there much suspense regarding the result. Indeed, given the purely decorative nature of voting in Putin’s Russia, the only real debate is over the size of the coming government majority.
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An elderly woman walks past a constitutional referendum billboard reading "Let's protects the memory of our ancestors" in Moscow on April 17, 2020. The Kremlin on April 22, 2020 confirmed plans to hold a referendum on constitutional amendments that would enable President Vladimir Putin to extend his time in office. The referendum was set to be held on April 22 but postponed due to the growing number of virus cases in Russia.
