The Russians have given President Vladimir Putin the right to rule the country until 2036 by voting unanimously for legislative amendments resetting the clock on the long-time Russian leader's incumbency back to zero, but his detractors alleged that the voting outcome was rigged.

Final official tally released Thursday, after 99.9 percent of ballots had been counted, indicated that the former KGB officer who has been Russia's ruler for over two decades as prime minister or president had secured the authority to run for two more six-year terms after the current one expires in 2024. This simply means the 67-year old leader could stay in power until he is 83 years old.

Voting started on June 25, giving Russian voters around a week to cast their ballots in person. The government has eased all of its pandemic restrictions a day before the start of voting, marked with a festive big parade.

The ongoing global health scare and Russia's depleting economy are among the major hurdles that Putin must now deal with, after a controversial national referendum that set the stage for him to stay in power until 2036, analysts said.

Putin expressed his gratitude to the Russian voters for their trust and support Thursday after election authorities confirmed nearly 80 percent of the voters are in favor of the legislative revisions, one of which will have presidential term limits reset, which could effectively make Putin the nation's leader for the rest of his life.

According to Timothy Frye, a professor of post-Soviet foreign policy at the Columbia University, the situation is very ironic. The constitutional amendments, Frye pointed out, is "power grab that is being done in some ways from a position of weakness rather than strength," Jen Kirby of Vox, wrote.

Ella Pamfilova, director of the Central Election Commission, disclosed that the voting had been transparent and that authorities had done everything to safeguard its integrity.

The United States voiced concern over the vote Thursday, pointing to allegations of voter coercion. Morgan Ortagus, US State Department spokesperson, said they are troubled by reports of Russian government efforts to "falsify the voting outcome on constitutional amendments, including reports of voter coercion and pressure on opponents of the amendments," Aljazeera News quoted the official as saying.

Meanwhile, Russia has recorded nearly 655,000 coronavirus cases, the country's crisis response center said. Only the US and Brazil have reported more. Over 9,500 people have perished from COVID-19 in Russia.