Name? Vladimir Putin
Westphalian identity? Russian
Age? 67
Why is he in the news? Early voting began today for the July 1st referendum over whether to accept over 200 amendments to the Constitution. One of which would allow President Putin to stay in power until 2036.
Why do we care? While we’ve known about the referendum for some time now, the scale of the reforms is quite surprising. For a President who is typically against large scale changes, Putin certainly didn’t hold back with these.
Why should you care? Many of these reforms would involve transforming the political system in a way which will make Putin comfortable enough to not be opposed in the next two elections by political or institutional opponents. If that isn’t enough to concern you, some of the reforms would have extensive social implications including one that would formally outlaw same-sex marriage.
Who else cares? Victor Orban. The Hungarian Prime Minister (along with any other aspiring autocrat) will take note of Putin’ success at amending the constitution to his liking in order to stay in power as long as possible. The effectiveness of Putin’s referendum is especially relevant to Orban as Hungary’s “state of danger” is lifted and his powers begin to decline.
Any further comments? Due to Corona precautions such as social distancing and sterilization at every polling station, the voting process is set to take much longer than usual with some stations only processing eight people an hour. In a nation already known for voting violations, forced voting and generally corrupt elections, the outcome of the referendum is likely to be largely contested by watchdog organizations both within and outside Russia. But if a pandemic won’t stop Putin, we highly doubt some provocations at polling stations will.
