Putin postpones constitutional referendum

Russia’s president Vladimir Putin has postponed the public vote on his constitutional reforms, saying that the safety of citizens was his main priority amid the coronavirus pandemic.
“We see how severely the coronavirus epidemic is developing in the world, in many countries the number of cases is continuing to grow, the whole world economy is under threat. The absolute priority for us is the health, life and safety of people. Therefore I believe that the vote should be postponed until a later date “, Putin said in a televised speech on Wednesday.
Earlier this month, Russia’s Duma approved a law on constitutional amendments that would allow Putin to seek reelection in 2024 by restarting the term count. The following day, Putin issued a decree on holding the nationwide vote on the proposed amendments on 22 April.
However, in recent days authorities have been urged to postpone the vote, as well as to stop censoring news outlets reporting on the coronavirus in the country.
On Wednesday, Russia reported 163 new cases of a total of 658 across the country. However, critics argue that the real number is higher, considering the low level of testing and the government’s tradition of hiding unpleasant truths. Observers see the 37% increase in pneumonia cases in Moscow in January as a sign of unreported coronavirus cases.
The government said 163,000 coronavirus tests have been performed so far. Until recently, all tests were analyzed by just one lab and it took several days to get results.
Russian authorities so far have refrained from strict lockdowns and closures of businesses, but more measures are expected as the outbreak spreads. The Russian economy is already weakened by sagging energy prices and Western sanctions.
Putin did not name a new date for the vote, saying only that he would listen to medical advice and evaluate the situation to decide when the time for a new vote was right.