Officials defy Putin

More than 300 election commission members are refusing to help organise the much-anticipated vote on constitutional amendments aimed at keeping Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, in power at least until 2036. The country is still grappling with the coronavirus pandemic as it adds 8000 to 9000 new cases every day. Russia has passed a special law to hold the vote in the space of seven days to minimise the risk of infection under new ad hoc rules that have been widely described as conducive to vote-rigging. Moscow was under a strict lockdown for more than two months before Sergei Sobyanin, the mayor, on Monday lifted most of the restrictions ahead of the vote, reportedly under pressure from Putin.