COVID-19 Forces Putin to Postpone Constitutional Referendum, Casting Doubt on Power Transfer Plans

The Russian constitutional amendments national vote, originally scheduled for April 2020 to affirm Putin's long-term power arrangements, was postponed indefinitely by President Putin due to the rapid spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. In Moscow, the government was forced to shift its focus to addressing the public health crisis and economic downturn.

Although Russian officials maintained that their healthcare system could cope, the decision to postpone the vote revealed the significant disruption the pandemic caused to Russia's domestic political agenda and power transition plans. For conservative observers, the pandemic's intervention introduced unexpected uncertainty into Putin's power consolidation efforts, providing a brief political respite for Russia's domestic opposition, despite their limited influence.