MOSCOW, March 12 (Xinhua) -- The Russian State Duma, or the lower house of parliament, passed a bill amending the national constitution initiated by Russian President Vladimir Putin in the third and final reading Wednesday.
"We should unite as much as possible around the bill on amendments to the constitution adopted today, put forward for discussion to citizens the proposals that have been discussed for two months, and accepted by us," State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin said in a statement on Wednesday.
Volodin said a total of 206 amendments were made, filling "the concept of a social state with concrete content."
The amendments stipulate that the minimum wage cannot be lower than the subsistence level and enshrine the mandatory indexation of pensions, subsidies and other social benefits, the statement said.
They also declare the Russian Federation as the successor to the Soviet Union.
According to an amendment, the incumbent president will be able to participate in the 2024 presidential election on the condition that the Constitutional Court recognizes it as not contradicting the basic law.
A nationwide vote on constitutional amendments is scheduled for April 22, which is declared a day off.
After the approval of the amendments to the constitution during the all-Russian vote, Putin will issue a decree on its official publication as amended, as well as indicating the date on which the relevant amendments become effective, the statement said.
