• Putin has officially declared his candidacy for a fifth term in office.
• He made the announcement during an awards ceremony.
• Putin’s presidency would extend until 2030.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has officially declared his candidacy for a fifth term in office. He made the announcement during an awards ceremony for participants in the conflict with Ukraine that began in 2022. The presidential election is scheduled for March 15-17, 2024, as confirmed by election officials.

Putin’s re-election is widely expected, given the limited opposition and the control he maintains over Russian media. Having previously served as president from 2000 to 2008 and returning to the role in 2012 after a stint as prime minister, Putin has already held power in Russia longer than any leader since Soviet dictator Josef Stalin.

A constitutional amendment in 2020 extended the presidential term from four to six years, allowing Putin to run again and potentially stay in office until 2036 if he wins in 2024. With significant challenges arising from the conflict in Ukraine and strained relations with the West, Putin is anticipated to face little serious opposition, as many potential rivals are either deceased, imprisoned, or in exile.

The election announcement by Russia’s upper house of parliament was followed by the electoral commission confirming the dates for the three-day election period in March. If successful, Putin’s presidency would extend until 2030, and he could potentially run for another term, continuing until 2036.

Following the announcement, the Kremlin’s official spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said that an “astonishing” number of people wanted Mr Putin to continue as leader.

He did not take long to make his intentions clear.

Mr Putin spoke at an informal gathering after a ceremony in the Kremlin to award Ukraine war veterans with the Hero of Russia medal.

Vladimir Putin’s statement came in response to a request made by Lt-Col Artyom Zhoga, the leader of a former pro-Russian separatist unit in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region. Lt-Col Zhoga had asked Putin to run for re-election. It’s worth noting that Moscow declared the annexation of Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region, along with three other Ukrainian regions, in September 2022.

“Now is the time when one needs to take decisions. I will be running for the post of president of the Russian Federation,” Mr Putin said in remarks shown on Russian TV.

Mr Putin was handed the presidency at the very end of 1999 by his ailing predecessor Boris Yeltsin. Since then, Putin’s control over the country, which was never really uncertain, has only strengthened over the course of his leadership.

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