From all over the territory of the so-called Russian Federation (which is no longer a federation), there are reports of lines in stores for food and basic necessities, as well as the unpreparedness of local health systems for a possible coronavirus pandemic.
The Russian government, about two weeks behind the more vigilant governments of other countries, is beginning to take steps to combat the coronavirus, showing an optimism not shared by Russians who know the state of local health care.
The problem, however, is that the authorities have set themselves up in a trap with their constitutional coup, since they will have to sacrifice one or the other — either by holding a full-scale referendum on the amendments, which could give them the appearance of legitimacy in the eyes of society, or by fighting the epidemic.
Indeed, it is obvious that the participation of millions of Russians in polling stations during a growing pandemic will, on the one hand, further aggravate the situation and, on the other, demonstrate the hypocrisy of the bans on protest actions against these very amendments.
On the other hand, if all voting is moved online, given the numerous falsifications that have already taken place there, and given that many voters (especially the elderly) do not have access to it, such a voting format on the country’s most important law will ultimately turn the whole endeavor into a farce.
Therefore, logically, the only reasonable solution for the authorities in such a situation would be to postpone the vote until the situation in the country stabilizes.
Undoubtedly, this is exactly what any truly democratic government would have done in such a situation in order to gain society’s trust in the extraordinary measures it was taking and to dispel suspicions that it was merely covering up a coup.
Rumors circulated all day today that the Kremlin was preparing a speech by Vladimir Putin to the Russian people, and some commentators speculated that he might make such a statement. However, we would be surprised if Putin took such a step.
It would show that he is not afraid of anything and that he is in control of the situation, but all his recent actions indicate the opposite.
All the regional assemblies approved Putin’s constitutional amendments in two days, which shows the pressure under which these decisions were made.
The same applies to yesterday’s decision of the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation, which stated that although the Constitution limits the power of the president to two terms, if the citizens vote for the abolition of these terms, they have the right to abolish this limitation.
It is clear that this is a precedent that opens the door to overturning these terms again and again — each time by a similar vote.
Therefore, the judges known for their principled stance simply did not show up at the Constitutional Court session yesterday, which also indicates pressure — the remnants of their conscience were not allowed to vote in favor, and they were afraid to vote against.
And this is not surprising, considering that the day before the speaker of the State Duma, Vyacheslav Volodin, threatened that «the people will go through the list of those who voted against the amendments with a pencil».
Everyone knows who these «people» are in Putin’s Russia.
Therefore, while the regime continues to prepare at full speed for its double adventure — disregarding its emergency vote for the adoption of Putin’s amendments to the Constitution, which affect not only the political rights of Russians, but also their safety and health.