Putin approved amendments to the law on presidential elections

Vladimir Putin approved amendments to the law on presidential elections of Russia. The document is published on the official portal of legal acts.

The Federation Council approved the amendments last week. At the end of October, they were accepted by the State Duma.

The adopted amendments complicate the work of mass media during elections. Yes, among the changes is the permission to attend election commission meetings only for those journalists who are officially employed in the editorial offices of registered mass media.

Only those persons who have the right to do so in accordance with Russian legislation will be able to take photos and videos at polling stations, and the filming itself must not violate the secrecy of voting and the confidentiality of personal data in documents, the amendments state.

In addition, a de facto ban on filming at polling stations in military units is introduced. It can be carried out only by representatives of accredited mass media in consultation with the unit commander.

A ban on campaigning on all blocked resources is also introduced.

According to the amendments, if martial law is imposed on parts of the territory of Russia, voting in these regions “is possible following consultations of the Central Election Committee with the Ministry of Defense, the FSB and the head of the relevant region.”

At the moment, martial law has been introduced in four “new regions” – that’s how the Russian authorities call the occupied territories of Ukraine: parts of the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporozhye and Kherson regions.

According to the law, the presidential election of Russia must be held on March 17, 2024.

Vladimir Putin has not yet publicly announced his participation in the future presidential campaign.

According to independent observers, elections in Russia are characterized by large-scale violations, from the use of administrative resources to outright falsifications.