Russian President Vladimir Putin announced Friday, December 8, that he is running in the presidential election scheduled for March 15-17, 2024, Russia's three major news agencies reported.
The announcement was made on the sidelines of a decoration award ceremony at the Kremlin, according to these media. According to the RIA Novosti agency, Mr. Putin said he was a candidate for a fifth term in the Kremlin to a fighter in Ukraine, Artiom Joga.
This candidacy is anything but a surprise, given that Mr. Putin has reigned over Russia for almost a quarter of a century. No rival seems able to stand in his way, almost all major opponents having been imprisoned or driven into exile.
Since a controversial constitutional reform adopted in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, Vladimir Putin has the possibility of remaining in the Kremlin until 2036.
