Russians grant Putin right to extend rule until 2036 in landslide vote: Early results
(WorldNews Europe)

Moscow: Russians appeared to have paved the way for Vladimir Putin to stay in power until 2036 by voting overwhelmingly for a package of constitutional changes which will also boost pensions, initial results of a nationwide vote showed on Wednesday. Partial results, announced five hours before polls closed, indicate the former KGB officer who has ruled Russia for more than two decades as president or prime minister will win the right to run for two more terms. That means he could remain president for 16 more years. The Central Election Commission said just over 70% of votes counted across the world`s largest country had supported changing the constitution. Almost 29% had voted no of the...