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VOTE ON CONSTITUTIONAL CHANGES

Kremlin lauds constitutional vote as triumph and trust in Putin

77.92% of voters backed the amendments to the constitution and 21.27% opposed them

© Sergei Bobylev/TASS

MOSCOW, July 2. /TASS/. The Kremlin considers the outcome of the vote on amendments to the Russian Constitution as a triumph.

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77.92% of Russians support constitutional amendments

"Certainly, [the Kremlin] calls the [outcome of the vote on amendments to the Constitution] a triumph. Actually, de facto a triumphal referendum was held on trust in President [Vladimir] Putin," Peskov told reporters.

According to Peskov, a high interest in amendments had been easily predicted since this was explained by public activity in the process of initiating and outlining the amendments. "But certainly, this highest turnout and highest level of support, which were seen today, would have been very difficult to forecast," he noted.

Speaking on the course to fulfill the changes that Russians supported, Peskov noted that "this is an issue of the country’s imminent future." He declined to name a precise timeframe when the public would feel these changes. "Now, since Russians have supported all the initiatives on the amendments to the Constitution, certainly, this will become a foundation for a better future for our country," Peskov stressed.

On Friday, the Central Election Commission plans to confirm the outcome of the nationwide vote on amendments to the Constitution that ended on July 1. According to the CEC, with all ballots counted, 77.92% of voters backed the amendments and 21.27% opposed them. Chairperson of the Central Election Commission Ella Pamfilova said the overall turnout at the voting hit 65%.

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