Russia Could Extend Putin's Presidency Past 2024
2020-03-12
LRC
TXT
大字
小字
滚动
全页
1Russian lawmakers have approved constitutional changes to permit President Vladimir Putin to remain in power past 2024.
2Russia's lower house of parliament passed the measures Wednesday, by a vote of 343 to zero.
3Forty-three members did not take part in the vote.
4The constitution requires Putin to step down in 2024 when his fourth presidential term ends.
5The new reforms would permit him to seek an additional two terms.
6The 67-year-old Putin has been an influential part of Russian politics for twenty years as either president or prime minister.
7Russia's constitutional court must approve the constitutional changes for them to take effect.
8A nationwide vote on the proposed amendments is set for April 22.
9The measures extend more powers to the presidency.
10They also ban same-sex marriage and declare "a belief in God" as one of Russia's traditional values.
11Putin made an appearance in parliament on Tuesday to argue that term limits were less important in times of crisis.
12In his words, the measures, "are needed, and I am sure they will be useful for society, for our citizens."
13Russian government critics and opposition groups condemned the parliamentary action and called for protests.
14On Tuesday night, about 200 people demonstrated individually near the Kremlin - the only legal form of protest in Russia without approval from the government.
15Activist Alexei Miniaylo had posted a message on Facebook calling for the protest of Parliament's action.
16"It was clear from the start that it is being done to keep Putin in power forever," he said.
17Two opposition groups called for a bigger protest in Moscow on March 21 or March 22, and sought approval from city officials.
18Soon after, the officials banned until April 10 all outdoor events of more than 5,000 people.
19The officials said the ban would help prevent the spread of the new coronavirus.
20Activists then made a new request Wednesday that reduced the number of demonstrators from 50,000 to 4,500.
21Civil Society movement leader Mikhail Svetov told the Associated Press, "Our position is that if the coronavirus is such a dangerous threat, then they should cancel the vote, as it can expose millions of people to infection."
22He said if it is safe for the country to vote on constitutional reforms, then demonstrations should be permitted as well.
23Activists are planning demonstrations in other Russian cities also, said Tatyana Usmanova, a member of the group No.
24It formed two months ago to organize opposition efforts against the proposed constitutional action.
25She said the issue "gets to people, because it is totally out of line."
26I'm Bryan Lynn.
1Russian lawmakers have approved constitutional changes to permit President Vladimir Putin to remain in power past 2024. 2Russia's lower house of parliament passed the measures Wednesday, by a vote of 343 to zero. Forty-three members did not take part in the vote. 3The constitution requires Putin to step down in 2024 when his fourth presidential term ends. The new reforms would permit him to seek an additional two terms. 4The 67-year-old Putin has been an influential part of Russian politics for twenty years as either president or prime minister. 5Russia's constitutional court must approve the constitutional changes for them to take effect. A nationwide vote on the proposed amendments is set for April 22. 6The measures extend more powers to the presidency. They also ban same-sex marriage and declare "a belief in God" as one of Russia's traditional values. 7Putin made an appearance in parliament on Tuesday to argue that term limits were less important in times of crisis. In his words, the measures, "are needed, and I am sure they will be useful for society, for our citizens." 8Russian government critics and opposition groups condemned the parliamentary action and called for protests. 9On Tuesday night, about 200 people demonstrated individually near the Kremlin - the only legal form of protest in Russia without approval from the government. 10Activist Alexei Miniaylo had posted a message on Facebook calling for the protest of Parliament's action. "It was clear from the start that it is being done to keep Putin in power forever," he said. 11Two opposition groups called for a bigger protest in Moscow on March 21 or March 22, and sought approval from city officials. Soon after, the officials banned until April 10 all outdoor events of more than 5,000 people. The officials said the ban would help prevent the spread of the new coronavirus. 12Activists then made a new request Wednesday that reduced the number of demonstrators from 50,000 to 4,500. Civil Society movement leader Mikhail Svetov told the Associated Press, "Our position is that if the coronavirus is such a dangerous threat, then they should cancel the vote, as it can expose millions of people to infection." He said if it is safe for the country to vote on constitutional reforms, then demonstrations should be permitted as well. 13Activists are planning demonstrations in other Russian cities also, said Tatyana Usmanova, a member of the group No. It formed two months ago to organize opposition efforts against the proposed constitutional action. She said the issue "gets to people, because it is totally out of line." 14I'm Bryan Lynn. 15Bryan Lynn wrote this story for VOA Learning English, based on reports from The Associated Press, Reuters and Agence France-Presse. Caty Weaver was the editor. 16We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page. 17_______________________________________________________________ 18Words in This Story 19expose - v. to put (someone or something) at risk from a harmful action or condition