"So, dear colleagues, taking into consideration today's discussion, taking into consideration what you have said and proposed, we will hold the all-Russian vote on passing amendments to the constitution of the Russian Federation on July 1, 2020," Putin said at a working group meeting.
The head of the country's Central Election Commission, Ella Pamfilova, proposed this date earlier in the day.
The chief of Russia's public health watchdog, Anna Popova, supported the idea to schedule the vote for July 1. The situation is not getting worse once certain Russian regions lift restrictions imposed to contain the pandemic, which means that the country is moving in the right direction, Popova noted.
It takes 30 days from the announcement of the date of voting on the constitutional amendments to its conduct, and it is necessary to work out the safety mechanisms of citizens amid the coronavirus epidemic, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Monday.
"We need 30 days from the moment of the announcement to resolve some issues of a technical nature, but not only for it. What I mean: we are now returning to the normal rhythm of life, many enterprises are resuming their work, all this is under the sign of requirements compliance with certain rules related to coronavirus infection, and we need to work out some mechanism," Putin said.
"We need to make sure that these requirements enter into the lives of our citizens naturally, that everyone gets used to them, and that there are enough necessary materials, safety equipment in the broadest sense of the word, that is, that we simply develop these rules of conduct. And then we can organize a nationwide vote on constitutional amendments using these rules," he explained.
Andrey Klishas, lawmaker and co-chair of the working group on constitutional amendments, suggested that the voting could be held in late June.
"Regional election commissions, all regions, are ready to vote. This should be discussed with the Central Election Commission, the Federal Service for Supervision of Consumer Rights Protection and Human Welfare, but we believe that the vote could be held in late June," he said.
"There were even ideas to hold this vote right on the day of the Parade, I know, my colleagues talked about it. You don’t have to mix anything up, this is a separate major milestone in the life of the country," the president said.
The nationwide vote on constitutional amendments was scheduled for April 22 but then was postponed due to the difficult epidemiological situation in the country.
In late May, Putin announced that the Victory Parade would be held on June 24.
