Voters overwhelmingly approved proposed......>

RUSSIA: Voters overwhelmingly approved proposed constitutional changes in a week

long ad hoc vote that concluded yesterday. 

- With 99.9% of votes counted, 77.93% were in favour, with 21.6% opposed on a

turnout of 64.99%. 

- The constitutional reforms will allow President Vladimir Putin to remain in

office until 2036 should he seek to. Before the reforms his second consecutive

6-year term in office would have finished in 2024, barring him from running

again due to the two consecutive term limit rules. 

- Under the new constitution Putin's number of terms will reset at zero at the

end of his current term, allowing him to run for two more terms.