MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 01st July, 2020) Russia's online vote on amendments to the national constitution has completed on Tuesday with the registered voter turnout exceeding 93 percent, data of the monitoring center showed.
Residents of Moscow and the Nizhny Novgorod region were able to cast their ballots online. The online vote took place between June 25 and June 30.
As of 8 p.m. Moscow time (17:00 GMT), over 1,107,000 people have cast their ballots, which is 93 percent of the 1,190,726 registered voters.
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said that attempts to hack the voting website failed, and although there were several minor disruptions in its work, this did not undermine the quality of the electoral process.
The vote seeks to introduce amendments to Russia's 1993 constitution, which will 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 an obligation to support and protect culture as the unique heritage of Russia's multi-ethnic nation. Other amendments will confirm that Russia safeguards historical truth and honors the efforts of the defenders of the motherland.
The amendments envision a limit of two consecutive six-year terms for the President of the Russian Federation. The provision applies to the president at the time the legal changes enter into force, not taking into account the number of terms previously served in this position, thus paving the way for President Vladimir Putin to run again after his current term ends in 2024.
The proposed changes also aim to protect Russia's sovereignty and territorial integrity, prohibiting any attempts or calls to alienate part of its territory.
