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Updated February 26th, 2020 at 22:58 IST

Kremlin group sets date for constitutional vote

A working group chaired by President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday set a date for a nationwide vote on amendments to the Russian Constitution.

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A working group chaired by President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday set a date for a nationwide vote on amendments to the Russian Constitution.

The working group's choice of April 22 coincides with the 150th anniversary of Soviet founder Vladimir Lenin's birth. Neither group members nor Putin commented on whether the timing was purposeful or a coincidence.

Speaking at the meeting, Putin welcomed proposed amendments to emphasize respect for Russia's history spanning from the time of the Czars to the Soviet Union.

Putin, the longest-serving Russian leader since Soviet dictator Josef Stalin after more than 20 years in power, in the past hsa lamented the collapse of the Soviet Union as the “greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the 20th century.”

But he also has deplored the 1917 breakup of the Russian Empire and often criticized Lenin for designing the Soviet Union along ethnic lines and granting the right of secession to its republics — the decisions Putin said paved way for its collapse.

When Putin first proposed changes to the constitution last month, they were widely seen as part of his efforts to remain in charge after his current presidential term ends in 2024. But the Kremlin draft didn't offer clues to how he might accomplish that goal and it remained unclear why he is moving now to get the constitution changed.

The meeting on Wednesday didn't shed any light on the reasons behind the sweeping constitutional reform.

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Published February 26th, 2020 at 22:58 IST

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