AP – Vladimir Putin moved to prolong his reign on Russia for at least another six years, announcing his candidacy in the presidential election next March.
Putin commands wide support after nearly a quarter-century in power.
A short-lived rebellion in June by mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin raised widespread speculation that Putin could be losing his grip, but he emerged with no permanent scars.
Prigozhin’s died in a plane crash two months later.
Putin, who was first elected president in March 2000, announced his decision to run in the March 17 presidential election after a Kremlin award ceremony, when war veterans and others pleaded with him to seek reelection in what Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov described as “spontaneous” remarks.
“I won’t hide it from you – I had various thoughts about it over time, but now, you’re right, it’s necessary to make a decision,” Putin said in a video released by the Kremlin after the event. “I will run for president of the Russian Federation.”
Tatiana Stanovaya of the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center noted that the announcement was made in a low-key way instead of a live televised speech, probably reflecting the Kremlin’s spin effort to emphasise Putin’s modesty and his perceived focus on doing his job as opposed to loud campaigning.
About 80 per cent of the populace approves of Putin’s performance, according to the independent pollster Levada Center.
That support might come from the heart or it might reflect submission to a leader whose crackdown on any opposition has made even relatively mild criticism perilous. Putin is expected to face only token opposition on the ballot. Putin, 71, has twice used his leverage to amend the constitution so he could theoretically stay in power until he’s in his mid-80s.
In 2008, he stepped aside to become prime minister due to term limits but continued calling the shots while his close associate Dmitry Medvedev served as a placeholder president.
Presidential terms were then extended to six years from four, while another package of amendments he pushed through three years ago reset the count for two consecutive terms to begin in 2024.
For the first time, voting in the presidential election will take place over three days from March 15 to 17, 2024.
The election commission argued that the practice of multi-day voting, used in other elections since the COVID-19 pandemic, is more convenient for voters.
