Putin plan easier to sell to Russian elite than public

Significance

The document as passed by both houses of parliament on March 11, and later regional assemblies, nullifies previous terms and allows Putin to run again in 2024. This engineered change is a way of managing the uncertainties of transition and keeping potential competitors at bay.

Impacts

• Voters will be asked to approve a diverse mix of structural changes, welfare ambitions and conservative social values.
• The appeal to God, traditional and patriotic values is a shift that highlights the lack of new ideas.
• Constitutional reform is founded on life getting better; stagnating growth and oil and COVID-19 uncertainty throw that into question.