A working group chaired by President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday set a date for a nationwide vote on amendments to the Russian Constitution.
The working group's choice of April 22 coincides with the 150th anniversary of Soviet founder Vladimir Lenin's birth. Neither group members nor Putin commented on whether the timing was purposeful or a coincidence.
Speaking at the meeting, Putin welcomed proposed amendments to emphasize respect for Russia's history spanning from the time of the Czars to the Soviet Union.
Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting with members of a working group created to discuss constitutional amendments in the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2020. (Alexei Druzhinin, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)
Putin, the longest-serving Russian leader since Soviet dictator Josef Stalin after more than 20 years in power, in the past hsa lamented the collapse of the Soviet Union as the “greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the 20th century.”
But he also has deplored the 1917 breakup of the Russian Empire and often criticized Lenin for designing the Soviet Union along ethnic lines and granting the right of secession to its republics — the decisions Putin said paved way for its collapse.
When Putin first proposed changes to the constitution last month, they were widely seen as part of his efforts to remain in charge after his current presidential term ends in 2024. But the Kremlin draft didn't offer clues to how he might accomplish that goal and it remained unclear why he is moving now to get the constitution changed.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, Investigative Committee Chief Alexander Bastrykin, center, and Russian Interior Affairs Minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev leave after a meeting with top Interior Ministry officials in Moscow, Russia, Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2020. Putin urged the Interior Ministry to increase its efficiency in solving crimes. (Alexei Druzhinin, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)
The meeting on Wednesday didn't shed any light on the reasons behind the sweeping constitutional reform.
Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during a meeting with members of a working group created to discuss constitutional amendments in Moscow, Russia, Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2020. (Alexei Druzhinin, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)