Putin allocates at least 220 million dollars to stage Russia's national vote on new constitutional amendments

Vladimir Putin has instructed Russia’s Central Election Commision to begin organizing a national vote on the government’s proposed amendments to the Constitution. According to the president’s orders, the funds allocated to the referendum will be no less than the 2018 budget for presidential elections, when Putin won his latest six-year term in office. That election cost 14 billion rubles ($220.4 million). 

Russian officials have decided to hold the national vote on a holiday weekday. The referendum could reportedly take place on April 22, coinciding with the 150th birthday of USSR-founder Vladimir Lenin.

In January 2020, during his annual state-of-the-nation speech, Vladimir Putin unexpectedly proposed a series of sweeping changes to Russia’s Constitution, including new restrictions on the presidency, expanded limitations on the reach of international law, and a strengthened State Council. Many observers believe the amendments are intended to prolong Putin's grip on power in Russia.