Are Putin&#39;s constitution amendments legal?
<p>Putin is shaking up the constitution and there were <a href="https://meduza.io/feature/2020/03/11/popravki-v-konstitutsiyu-prinimayut-po-ochen-protsedure-kotoraya-ranshe-nigde-i-nikogda-ne-ispolzovalas-ona-voobsche-zakonna" rel="noreferrer">reports</a> suggesting that the process, <a href="https://meduza.io/feature/2020/03/23/konstitutsionnyy-cud-odobril-popravki-k-konstitutsii-pochemu-eto-bylo-bolshe-pohozhe-na-spetsoperatsiyu-chem-na-reshenie-suda" rel="noreferrer">as well as</a> the amendments themselves, are probably unlawful/illegal despite the Constitutional Court's <a href="http://doc.ksrf.ru/decision/KSRFDecision459904.pdf" rel="noreferrer">ruling</a> stating otherwise. Speaking strictly from a legal standpoint, what can be said on the issue?</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>Speaking strictly from a legal standpoint, what can be said on the issue?</p>
</blockquote>

<p>Strictly speaking, the Constitutional Court is the top authority on the legality of anything. One can speculate as much as they want on whether the Court was biased, pre-determined, corrupt, defiant, flagrantly blatant or ridiculously unjust. These speculations would be pure politics. They do not change the fact that whatever the Court has decided is legal just by definition.</p>

<p>I don't know what reports are claiming it's "probably unlawful/illegal" and why when <a href="http://constitution.ru/en/10003000-10.htm" rel="noreferrer">the Russian constitution states</a>:</p>

<blockquote>
  <ol start="3">
  <li>The Constitutional Assembly shall either confirm the invariability of the Constitution of the Russian Federation <strong>or draft a new Constitution of the Russian Federation</strong>, which shall be adopted by the Constitutional Assembly by two thirds of the total number of its members <strong>or submitted to a referendum</strong>. In case of a referendum the Constitution of the Russian Federation shall be considered adopted, if over half of the voters who came to the polls supported it and under the condition that over half of the electorate participated in the referendum.</li>
  </ol>
</blockquote>

<p>(emphasize mine)</p>

constitutional-law russia