ST. PETERSBURG, March 14. /TASS/. The law on amendments to the Constitution of the Russian Federation, which after approval by the Federation Council was signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin in the procedural part on Saturday, was submitted to the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation, the press service of the court said.

"On March 14, 2020, the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation received a request from the president on the constitution’s provisions of the law regarding amendments to the Constitution and the all-Russian vote," the court’s press service said in a statement.

On March 11, Russia’s State Duma (the lower house of parliament) passed the third and final reading of a bill amending the country’s Constitution.

The bill expands the authority of Russia’s parliament and Constitutional Court, bars officials from holding foreign passports and residence permits and ensures the supremacy of the Constitution within Russia’s legal system. Besides, it adds a reference to God to the Constitution and enshrines the role of Russian as the language of a state-forming ethnic group. The bill also amends laws related to procedures and the implementation of the constitutional amendments.

If the court releases a positive ruling, a nationwide vote will be held on April 22. If people support the constitutional amendments, the head of state will issue a decree on the official publication of the amended Constitution, announcing the date when the amendments will take effect.