Vladimir Putin said that Russian society had shown unity in voting for the reforms.
Moscow (Reuters):
President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that Russian society had shown unity by voting for reforms to keep it in power until 2036 and that the Russians had felt the need for changes in their hearts.
Putin, 67, also decreed that the constitutional amendments would come into force on July 4 after being supported by almost 78% of Russians, according to official results, in a week-long vote that ended Wednesday .
The Kremlin hailed the overwhelming victory as a triumph for Putin, but critics said the vote was illegal and illegitimate. An independent monitoring group said the vote was deeply flawed.
“People felt with all their heart that what was proposed (the amendments) … was asked for and what the country needed,” said Putin in his first public comments on the vote.
“In general, the results of the vote showed a high level of unity in society on key issues of national importance,” said Mr Putin.
Other changes to the reform program grant former presidents immunity from prosecution, enshrine a reference to God in the constitution, and define marriage as the union of a man and a woman.
Putin also used a meeting with officials broadcast on national television to try to mock the U.S. Embassy in Moscow for raising the rainbow flag as part of the LGBT pride celebrations.
“They showed something working on there. But too bad … Our position is understood,” said Putin, who sought to distance Russia from liberal Western values and aligned with the Orthodox Church. Russian.
Putin said during the campaign to change the constitution that he would not let the traditional notion of mother and father be overturned by what he called “parent number 1” and “parent number 2”.
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