The authorities have pulled out all the stops to get the turnout as high as possible. For example, voters could win prizes, and observers say officials have been pressured to vote. Opponents who wanted to campaign were also said to have been opposed.
But a referendum was not really necessary for this reform, as both the two chambers of the Russian Parliament and the Constitutional Court had already approved the constitutional changes. However, the launch of this referendum gives the president more legitimacy if he stays on for years to come.
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