Moscow
Eternal leader: Russian President Vladimir Putin appeared to have secured a lifelong lock on power this week as the country voted on a raft of constitutional amendments that will allow the autocrat to remain in office until 2036. Early referendum results showed that 76 percent of voters supported the amendments. Authorities used every trick to get people to the polls so that turnout would be respectable, extending voting for a full week to allow social distancing, offering raffles and cash prizes at voting sites, and paying Russian social media influencers to promote the referendum. Still, the result was a foregone conclusion: Copies of the new constitution were on sale in bookstores before voting wrapped up this week. Putin, 67, has ruled as prime minister or president since the end of 1999.