Mr. Putin announced to run for President of Russia in 2024

The Russian leader made the statement during an intimate conversation between him and soldiers participating in the ceremony to award Gold Star medals to Heroes of Russia for their combat achievements in special military operations.

Russian President Vladimir Putin at a ceremony to award medals to soldiers participating in special military operations. (Photo: RIA Novosti)

When asked by Artyom Zhoga - one of the leaders of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic - whether the Russian leader would run for re-election next year, Mr. Putin answered yes.

According to a poll released by the Public Opinion Foundation (FOM) on December 7, about 70% of Russian citizens believe that Mr. Putin should run for another term, with another 15% saying that the incumbent should leave his current post and choose another senior government position. Only 8% think that the Russian leader should not run for re-election.

He is currently serving his fourth term after winning the most recent election in 2018 with a landslide victory of more than 76% of the vote.

Potential contenders to challenge Mr Putin now include Gennady Zyuganov, the longtime leader of the Russian Communist Party, who announced his candidacy in late November but noted that the final decision would be made by the Communist Party's Central Committee. Other Russian political parties, including the Liberal Democratic Party (LDPR) and New People's Party, have also signaled that they intend to put forward their own candidates.

Earlier, the Russian Central Election Commission (CEC) officially approved a three-day voting period for the 2024 presidential election. Polling stations will open from early morning on March 15, 2024, to late on March 17, 2024.

According to the CEC, this is the first time that a Russian presidential election will last for so many days. However, three-day voting has been used in other elections in Russia, the first time it was applied during the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to CEC Director Ella Pamfilova, the new voting mechanism has become popular with voters and is gradually becoming a tradition. She also argued that the extended voting period will help avoid delays and reduce stress on regional election commissions.

The CEC also announced that all pre-election media campaigns will take place from February 17, 2024, until the time of the election.

Speaker Valentina Matvienko described the upcoming vote as “historic” and crucial for Russia in the face of today's challenges.

Tra Khanh (Source: russian.rt.com)

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