Russia's constitutional amendments speed through regional legislatures en route to the Constitutional Court and then voters

The legislative assemblies in more than two-thirds of Russia’s constituent territories have voted in favor of legislation that would introduce sweeping new amendments to the nation’s Constitution. The support of at least as many constituent territories is a constitutional requirement (stated in Article 136) for any amendments to Russia’s Constitution. 

In accordance with the norms specified in the new legislation, the president will now formally ask Russia’s Constitutional Court to determine if the proposed amendments conform to the Constitution’s existing first, second, and ninth chapters. The court will have a week to reach a decision. If the judges uphold the legislation, the amendments will go before the public in an all-or-nothing nationwide vote on April 22.

In the span of roughly 24 hours, both houses of Russia's Parliament and two-third of the country's regional legislatures approved the constitutional amendments, including a revision that will allow Vladimir Putin to run for another two terms in office, potentially extending his presidency to 2036.