Putin poll ‘most biased’ of post-Soviet era
Russians were urged to ‘‘Vote for your future – Yes!’’ as polls opened for a referendum that they have been told will raise pensions and the minimum wage and enshrine ‘‘faith in God’’ in the constitution. Yet state media barely mentions that it will also keep President Vladimir Putin in power until 2036. Booths across Russia’s 11 time zones will remain open until July 1 for voters to accept or reject the package without amendment in a poll branded ‘‘the least transparent’’ in the country’s modern history. Under the reforms Putin, who is due to step down in 2024, can run for two more six-year tenures. Bright posters and brochures urging Russians to back the reforms were delivered recently to homes across the country. Campaigning against the reforms is banned. No truly independent observers will monitor the vote and, unlike at elections, no video cameras will be in the polling stations. Grigory Melkonyants, the deputy head of Golos, an independent election monitoring group, said that voting data would be restricted, making it harder to uncover any possible fraud. ‘‘The lack of transparency is unprecedented,’’ he said. Melkonyants, 39, added that teachers, doctors and other state employees had reported being forced to take part in the referendum. ‘‘People are afraid of losing their jobs if they vote ’incorrectly’,’’ he said. Alexei Navalny, the leading Kremlin critic, said that the reforms were a ‘‘constitutional coup’’ aimed at installing Putin as ‘‘president for life’’.