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| PM Russia |
Russia Delays its Election as Coronavirus threats Russian political agenda.
Russia could also be forced to place off a public vote on amendments allowing Putin to carry office potentially until 2036 because the coronavirus threatens to upend a busy political season in Russia.
Kremlin has not rescheduled the 22 April vote that was intended as a public endorsement for Putin’s surprise decision to “reset” his term limits, which would be allowing him to run a fifth or maybe sixth term as president under a revised constitution.
“The vote is about for 22 April, but the health of the country’s citizens is most vital,” said Putin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov. “If the expansion of the epidemiological situation gives cause to reschedule then it'll be done.”
On Monday the business daily Vedomosti reported the vote was likely to be rescheduled to June due to fears of the disease spreading in Russia. the choice would probably be announced in the week, the newspaper said, citing three sources within the presidential administration. one among the sources said the vote as scheduled could coincide with the projected peak for the number of coronavirus cases in Russia.
Coronavirus already threatens the festival of the 75th anniversary on the 9th of May, in which the French president, Emmanuel Macron, and the United States national security adviser, Robert O Brien, was pleased to attend. The occasion is both memorials to second war veterans and as a showcase for Russian military hardware, including aircraft and intercontinental missile carriers.
Russian govt. officials said on Monday that they had identified 71 new cases of the disease, bringing the country’s total to 438. Of the known cases, 262 are in Moscow. The country closed its borders to most foreigners and Moscow’s mayor has announced a replacement mandatory self-isolation for people over the age of 65 until 16 April, every week before the vote is scheduled to require place.
While the vote isn't a referendum and doesn't have any jurisdiction, it's seen as an endorsement of Putin’s leadership. Delay of reforms to the constitution, including the amendment on terms limits, could “create the sensation of a dangerous vacuum”, the thinktank wrote.
