One Russian region says 'nyet' to Putin, defying the Kremlin

Only one of Russia's 85 regions,a sparsely-populated patch of the Arctic known for reindeerherders, defied the Kremlin and voted against changes grantingPresident Vladimir Putin the right to stay in power until 2036,results on Thursday showed.

The former KGB officer, who has ruled Russia for more thantwo decades as president or prime minister, handily won theright to run for two more six-year terms after the current oneends in 2024.

But in the remote Nenets Autonomous District, located about 1,600km northeast of Moscow, over 55 per centof 37,490 votersvoted against the reforms, the only region to say "nyet."

Discontent there has been brewing for some time and itsrejection appeared to be a protest vote designed to signal angerover a local issue.

Specifically, residents object to a plan put forward earlierthis year by authorities to merge with neighbouring regionArkhangelsk, a move they believe would leave them poorer bystripping them of special financial support.

A memorandum outlining the plan was signed by the tworegions' governors on May 13. A September referendum on theissue has since been cancelled but locals remain wary.

Sign of protest

"People voted [against the constitutional reforms]as a signof protest ... They wanted to use this to get the attention ofauthorities in Moscow and to tell them that we live here too,that we have an opinion," Tatyana Antipina, a localbusinesswoman, said by telephone.

Antipina traveled to Moscow this week to deliver a petitionto the Kremlin with over 15,000 signatures opposing the plan.

Olga Bondareva, who voted no, said locals had beenprotesting the planned merger since May.

"We held flash mobs every day, stood in solitary pickets,and on Saturdays we'd do protests driving in our cars, all sothat our district authorities and deputies would hear us,"Bondareva said in a chat over social media.

In Volonga, a village with 32 registered resident voters,located on the coast of the Arctic Ocean, 17 people took part inthe referendum and all voted "no."

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the region's voters had the right to vote against but were "the absolute minority."