After a week of online and in-person voting, at a turnout of over 60 percent, a majority of the electorate decided that changing the constitution would be beneficial for the country. Most significantly, the new amendments mean that President Putin could be reelected twice again and potentially keep power until 2036.

Initially planned for April 22, and postponed to July 1 due to Covid-19, the all-Russian vote took place over a week, and, for the first time ever, in Moscow and Nizhny Novgorod, voters were allowed to cast their ballots online.

Amongst other changes, the newly amended constitution now includes the regular indexation of pensions and a guaranteed minimum wage above subsistence level.

Additional amendments include the definition of marriage as a union between one man and one woman, a ban on top government officials from holding foreign passports, and restricting future presidents to serving only two terms.  Controversially, the new constitution also includes a mention of God, in regards to the country’s heritage.

The newly-amended constitution also marks a slight shift away from the hyper-presidential system, introduced by former President Boris Yeltsin in 1993. By redistributing some powers to other government organs, both Russia's lower and upper houses of parliament now have the opportunity to propose and approve of certain officials.

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