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Russian Voters Back Reforms Allowing Putin to Stay Until 2036

Agence France-Presse

   MOSCOW - Russians overwhelmingly approved a package of constitutional
   changes in a nationwide vote, partial results showed Wednesday,
   allowing President Vladimir Putin to potentially extend his two-decade
   rule until 2036.

   With just over 85 percent of ballots counted after the end of seven
   days of voting, 77.8 percent of voters had supported the reforms,
   according to election commission figures cited by Russian state
   agencies.

   There had been little doubt that voters would back the changes, which
   Putin announced earlier this year and critics denounced as a maneuver
   to allow him to stay in the Kremlin for life.

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