Putin, citing coronavirus, postpones vote on changes that could extend his rule

News / Putin, citing coronavirus, postpones vote on changes that could extend his rule

Putin, citing coronavirus, postpones vote on changes that could extend his rule

Published March 25, 2020, 12:00 AM

By Reuters

MOSCOW – Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday said he was postponing a nationwide vote on constitutional changes that would allow him to extend his rule due to the worsening situation with coronavirus.

Russian President Vladimir Putin addresses the nation on the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in a televised speech in Moscow, Russia March 25, 2020. Sputnik/Alexei Druzhinin/Kremlin via REUTERS — Russian President Vladimir Putin addresses the nation on the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in a televised speech in Moscow, Russia March 25, 2020. (Sputnik/Alexei Druzhinin/Kremlin via REUTERS/MANILA BULLETIN)

The vote, on changes that include scrapping a constitutional ban on Putin running again for president in 2024, had been planned for April 22.

Putin did not name a new date for the vote, saying only that he and others would evaluate the situation to decide when the time for a new vote was right.

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