Russians voted in favor of a referendum on Wednesday for a series of constitutional amendments, one of which would define marriage as between a man and a woman.
Preliminary results tallied by CNN found that nearly 80% of Russians backed the amendments.
The referendum, ostensibly intended to restore a Russian “protection of the family,” also changed Russia’s constitution so that President Vladimir Putin will be able to hold power until 2036. Russian law already does not allow gay marriage.
The new amendment codifies a “defense of the institution of marriage as a union of a man and a woman; the creation of conditions for a decent upbringing of children in the family, as well as for the responsibilities of adult children to care for parents.”
An official state booklet promoting the amendments frame them as recentering Russia on “traditional family values,” stating, “marriage as a union of man and woman, respect for children to elders, trust and care of all generations of a family for each other.”
Promotional materials for the amendment obscured the fact that Putin’s presidency has effectively been extended for another two decades.
The last time Russians voted to amend their constitution was in 1993. Putin proposed the amendments in March, emphasizing marriage as a “union of a man and a woman,” and new, official references to “ancestors who bequeathed to us their ideals and a belief in God.”
