RUSSIALINK: “Putin says vote results must be credible, legitimate” – Interfax

(Interfax – June 25, 2020)

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that people should not be forced to participate in the nationwide vote on amendments to the constitution that kicked off on 25 June across the country.

“Our mutual most important goal is to make the results of the all-Russia vote absolutely credible and legitimate. We cannot let any ‘forced participation’ happen, any ‘ramped up voter turnout’, let alone technical errors during vote counting, so that in the future no-one could ever question the position expressed by the citizens,” Putin said at a meeting with new members of the Public Chamber, as reported by the Interfax news agency on 25 June.

A nationwide vote on amendments to the Russian constitution which pave the way for Putin to stay in power beyond 2024 has started across the country today.

[featured image is file photo]