WASHINGTON, July 2. /TASS/. Washington is troubled by reports of possible irregularities in Russia’s constitutional vote, US Department of State Spokesperson Morgan Ortagus told TASS.
"The United States continues to advocate for the fair competition of ideas and candidates, free and fair elections, and peaceful, democratic transitions of power. The Russian people, like people everywhere, deserve the opportunity to make decisions about the form of their government, free and fair elections, respect for their human rights, and equal treatment under the law," she pointed out.
"We are troubled by reports of Russian government efforts to manipulate the result of the recent votes on constitutional amendments, including reports of voter coercion, pressure on opponents of the amendments, and restrictions of independent observers of the vote," Ortagus added. According to her, the US is "especially concerned with a provision in the amendments that would potentially allow President Putin to remain in power until 2036."
The Russian president's decree set July 1 as the official voting day, but Russians were provided with the opportunity to cast their ballots on June 25-30 in order to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. According to the law, the amendments will enter into force if over half of those taking part in the vote support them. There is no minimum voter turnout.
With all ballots counted, 77.92% of voters supported the amendments and 21.27% voted "no." Overall turnout was 67.97%.
Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said earlier on Thursday that the Kremlin viewed the vote’s outcome as a triumph. According to experts, no major irregularities took place during the vote, which proved to be transparent. Central Election Commission (CEC) Chairperson Ella Pamfilova pointed out that there were no reports of irregularities that required the CEC’s attention.