Support The Moscow Times!

Exit Poll Shows Russians Strongly Backing Constitution Reforms

Voting started in Russia last Thursday after a decision to spread the plebiscite over a week to avoid crowds during the coronavirus epidemic. Andrei Nikerichev / Moskva News Agency

Russian state pollster VTsIOM on Monday published an exit poll showing a vast majority of Russians backing proposed constitutional reforms, days before the end of voting.

Some 76% of respondents voted for the package of amendments, which range from better pensions and minimum wages to a reset of term limits that would allow President Vladimir Putin to run again in 2024 and potentially stay in power until 2036.

The vote, which the opposition has slammed as illegal and prone to rigging, began last week and is due to end on Wednesday.

VtsIOM, which stands for the All-Russian Public Opinion Research Center, polled more than 163,000 voters in 25 regions, with about 70% agreeing to say how they voted.

The co-chairman of election monitoring group Golos, Grigory Melkonyants, told Business FM radio that the publication of figures before the end of voting could unduly "influence the will of citizens."

This is why the publication of exit polls is banned before the end of voting, he noted.

VTsIOM said it decided to publish the figures because of "high demand" for the data and dismissed the idea that it could influence the outcome.

"It's not against the law to publish," the center's director Valery Fyodorov told AFP in an emailed comment.

Election commission chief Ella Pamfilova said the body had recommended to wait until the end of voting but that the center did not do anything illegal.

The constitutional vote has to abide by its own special law, rather than Russia's regular election legislation, which forbids publication of data during a "silent period" immediately before and during voting. 

"The law (on the constitutional vote) does not regulate this," Pamfilova told Business FM radio.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the plebiscite "is not a competitive vote, not an election," and refrained from further comment.

Voting started in Russia on Thursday after a decision to spread the plebiscite over a week to avoid crowds during the coronavirus epidemic.

Advertisements running frequently on television ask Russians to vote without any mention of the clause that effectively "zeroes" Putin's time in the Kremlin and opens the possibility of him staying on for two more terms until 2036.

The Kremlin reluctantly postponed the vote, originally scheduled for April 22, as coronavirus cases increased and officials imposed restrictions to slow the spread.

Sign up for our free weekly newsletter

Our weekly newsletter contains a hand-picked selection of news, features, analysiss and more from The Moscow Times. You will receive it in your mailbox every Friday. Never miss the latest news from Russia. Preview
Subscribers agree to the Privacy Policy

A Message from The Moscow Times:

Dear readers,

We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."

These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.

By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.

Once
Monthly
Annual
Continue
paiment methods
Not ready to support today?
Remind me later.

Read more