Kremlin calls vote allowing Putin to rule until 2036 a triumph as Russians ponder his next move

FILE PHOTO: Russia's President Vladimir Putin takes part in a video conference call with members of the Security Council at the Novo-Ogaryovo state residence outside Moscow, Russia June 4, 2020. Sputnik/Alexei Nikolsky/Kremlin/File Photo via REUTERS

MOSCOW (Reuters) - The Kremlin said Russians had shown how much they trusted President Vladimir Putin with a nationwide vote that gave him the right to run for two more terms while people wondered on Thursday whether he really would stay on until 2036.

Announcing final results of the week-long vote, officials said nearly 78% of voters had backed changes to the constitution allowing Putin, whose fourth term as president ends in 2024, to run for two more back-to-back six-year terms.