Vladimir Putin to stand for fifth term as Russian president next year
8 December 2023, 14:43
Vladimir Putin has announced he will run again for Russian president in the 2024 elections in a move likely to keep him in power until at least 2030.
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The Russian tyrant is almost certain to win with opposition almost non-existent and Russian media completely under his control.
Putin, 71, revealed his intention to stand during an awards ceremony for participants in the war in Ukraine. His announcement comes a day after officials set the election dates.
Despite rumours of his failing health, the ageing despot is said to be determined to cling on to power as his war in Ukraine grinds to a statement, insider sources said.
He has already been in power in Russia longer than any ruler since Josef Stalin. A new term would see him remain as president until at least 2030.
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On Thursday, Russia's upper house of parliament, the Federation Council, announced the elections. Shortly afterwards, the country's electoral commission said they would be held over three days, from March 15-17.
Following the announcement, the Kremlin's official spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said that an "astonishing" number of people wanted Putin to continue as leader.
Putin spoke at an informal gathering after a ceremony in the Kremlin to award Ukraine war veterans with the Hero of Russia medal.
"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 on Friday."I will run for president of the Russian Federation.
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 risky.
Putin was handed the presidency at the very end of 1999 by his ailing predecessor Boris Yeltsin.
After winning elections a few months later, he served two terms. Then, after switching to the job of prime minister in 2008-12, he returned for two more.
