JRL NEWSWATCH: “Coronavirus Upends Putin’s Political Agenda in Russia” – AP

April 13, 2020 JRL Russia List Coronavirus, Covid-19 Pandemic, Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, JRL NewsBlog, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections

“… A nationwide vote on April 22 was supposed to finalize sweeping constitutional reforms that would allow [Putin] to stay in power until 2036 …. But after the coronavirus spread in Russia, that plebiscite had to be postponed – an action so abrupt that billboards promoting it already had been erected in Moscow and other big cities. Now under threat is a pomp-filled celebration of Victory Day on May 9 …. A weakening economy and worsening living conditions, widely seen by analysts as the driving force behind Putin’s souring ratings, have already become the dominating fear among Russians. …”