Nationwide Poll in Russia over Putin Proposed Constitutional Reforms

President Vladimir Putin of Russia has been one of the people that have an intensive craving for power but has also done a great deal of good deeds that has helped the country on many reforms, and improvement of the economy is top of the list. Putin proposed constitutional reforms by holding a nationwide vote that could be potentially used to tighten his grip on power in Russia.

Why Putin Proposed Constitutional Reforms?

Due to the existing laws of the country, Putin is not allowed to take part in the upcoming presidential elections in the country, and this proposal could be used to secure public backing for his and can extend his power in a different role. During the speech given on January 15, 2020, in which Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed constitutional reforms in the country, Russian Prime Minister Medvedev reportedly resigned.

The reforms given by the Russian president include that after the elected president time limit, the country’s president will be given a special state organ to lead and govern, which will relieve him of the day to day obligations but will allow him to retain power.  The reforms outline the current Russian president for preserving his power even after he completes his presidential period to 2024. Putin proposed constitutional reforms to retain control at the federal level through his ruling political party and at the regional level by the state council.

After Putin proposed constitutional reforms last month, the process of writing the constitution has been going at top speed, which has shocked the elite political class and leads to the resignation of the country’s Prime Minister Dmitri Medvedev. There have been around a thousand new amendments in the constitution and will be finalized in the next hearing in the parliament, which is scheduled to be conducted on March 10, 2020.

The decision regarding Putin proposed constitutional reforms is not new, as it has been on the table in 2007 when Vladimir Putin was the Russian president at that time. The surprising part is that Putin implemented this decision rather earlier than anticipated. Although this commitment was to ensure that Putin will retain power after 2024, this might become something opposite and could cost him dearly.

The committee members chosen after Putin proposed constitutional reforms have to lead to a lot of criticism by political experts. The members who will review the reforms include several political officials, business leaders, an Olympic champion, an actor, and a pianist. The Russian president’s long term advisor who resigned this month gave a statement which suggests that the new reforms proposed by the president will give him the ability to be reelected in the upcoming elections that is not currently possible with the contemporary reforms.

Putin’s main challenge is to ensure that the political elites will not hinder his work towards being in power as long as he lives. Russian President Vladimir Putin has already indicated that after the finalization of the constitution, he will not hold a referendum as he is clearly afraid that his power play will fail as 50% of positive votes are required to pass through the referendum.

The Russian public is not happy with the current government at all. The country’s economy is dying down gradually over the period of time due to the decreasing prices of oil, the United States of America being the main reason in decline. The inhabitants of the area are not in good shape, and the region is covered in a major poverty crisis. The success rate of Putin to be reelected would be around 38% if they were to be held immediately. There is a lot of public anger simmering under the surface, which will lead to revolutions against authoritarian regimes if not solved as soon as possible.

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