It’s official: Putin confirms plans to run for brand new six-year time period as president of Russia
It was universally anticipated however now’s official: Russia — and the world — will possible have President Vladimir Putin to kick round for a minimum of one other six years.
Mr. Putin, who has successfully run Russia for the reason that flip of the century, confirmed Friday he’ll run in — and nearly definitely win overwhelmingly — Russia’s presidential election subsequent 12 months.
Election officers in Moscow confirmed Friday that vote can be held over three days beginning March 15 and can embrace “house-to-house voting” in 4 new Russian “regions” unilaterally annexed from Ukraine final 12 months.
The vote would be the first since Mr. Putin approved the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and comes after the onetime KGB agent pushed by way of constitutional adjustments in 2020 that allowed him to hunt a minimum of two extra six-year phrases within the Kremlin.
Mr. Putin revealed his plans at a army ceremony on the Kremlin Friday honoring troopers who fought in Ukraine.
“Times are such that I need to make a decision. I will run for office,” Mr. Putin mentioned when he was requested by a army officer about his plans.
There is anticipated to be solely token opposition to what could be Mr. Putin‘s fifth time period as president, and his spokesman has been quoted as predicting the incumbent will get 90% of the vote or extra subsequent March.
Polls say Mr. Putin stays standard with Russian voters regardless of the troubled Ukraine marketing campaign, and critical challengers to Mr. Putin‘s rule have been sidelined or worse: Anti-corruption campaigner Alexei Navalny, a fierce critic of the president, was the goal of a failed assassination try and is at the moment serving a prolonged jail time period on what are broadly seen to be trumped-up costs.
If Mr. Putin manages to remain in energy by way of 2036, he would surpass Soviet dictator Josef Stalin because the longest-serving chief within the Kremlin for the reason that fall of the czars.
