Russia - Putin wants to run for president again in 2024
As expected, Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin has announced his renewed candidacy in next year's Russian presidential election. This was reported by Russian state media on Friday. At a ceremony in the Kremlin to honor the "Heroes of Russia" at the request of military officials, Putin announced his intention to run for the fifth time in the election on 17 March 2024. The 71-year-old had the Russian constitution amended specifically so that he could run again. The central election commission had previously officially confirmed the date for the vote.
According to representatives of the Russian state media, the news of Putin's renewed candidacy was broken by Artyom Zhoga, an official from the Moscow-occupied Ukrainian region of Donetsk. The native Ukrainian, who had actively fought on the Russian side against Kiev's troops, asked Putin to allow the people in the annexed territories to take part in the election as well.
State television runs at full speed with Putin propaganda
There had been speculation in Russia for weeks as to when and how Putin would announce his new candidacy. On Friday morning, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that the president would do so when he felt it was necessary. After the end of the ceremony in the Kremlin, officials in Russia went into overdrive with declarations of loyalty, saying that they would vote for Putin.
For days now, state television has been showing programs in which citizens assure Putin, who has been in power for almost a quarter of a century, that they will vote for him. His re-election is considered a foregone conclusion.
The Kremlin is expecting a record result for Putin in the election, which is dominated by Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine. The president presents himself as a champion against the USA's quest for supremacy and against the eastward expansion of NATO. The stylization of the West as the enemy that Putin is fighting against is catching on with many Russians. In the 2018 vote, Putin received 76.69% of the votes.
Kremlin wants to maintain the appearance of democracy
The Kremlin traditionally tries to organize a field of candidates for the presidency before the elections in order to create the appearance of a selection and competition for Putin. However, the candidates put forward by various parliamentary parties are generally considered to have no chance at all.
Kremlin opponents surrounding the imprisoned Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny, who has not shown any signs of life for days, have launched a campaign against Putin ahead of the presidential election. "Russia without Putin" is the name of the campaign, in which citizens are asked to vote for any candidate - just not for the incumbent.
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Source: www.stern.de
