MOSCOW, Russia (AP) — Polls opened in Russia yesterday for a week-long vote on constitutional changes that would allow President Vladimir Putin to stay in power until 2036.

The vote on a slew of constitutional amendments, proposed by Putin in January, was initially scheduled for April 22, but was postponed because of the novel coronavirus pandemic.

The proposed amendments include a change in the constitution that would allow the 67-year-old Putin, who has ruled Russia for over two decades, to run for two more six-year terms after his current one expires in 2024.

The changes have already been approved by both Houses of Parliament, the country's Constitutional Court and were signed into law by Putin.

He insisted that they be put to a vote, even though it is not legally required, in what many see as an effort to put a veneer of democracy on the controversial changes.