Putin Declares Candidacy: Russian President to Seek Re-election as Independent in 2024

Russian President Vladimir Putin has officially declared his intention to seek re-election as an independent candidate in the 2024 presidential race, as reported by Russian news agencies. Over 700 politicians, along with figures from the realms of sports and culture, gathered in Moscow and unanimously endorsed Putin as an independent candidate during a meeting on Saturday.

Putin had earlier announced his bid for another six-year term in the upcoming March 2024 presidential election. Despite his status as an independent candidate, Andrei Turchak, a senior official of the United Russia party, affirmed that Putin enjoys the complete support of the party. United Russia is the largest political party in Russia, holding 325 out of 450 seats in the State Duma as of 2022.

Having been at the helm of Russian politics since 1999, Putin has alternated between the roles of president and prime minister. In 2008, he exchanged positions with then-Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev and subsequently altered the rules limiting consecutive presidential mandates. Since 2012, Putin has been serving as president and, if re-elected, could potentially remain in office until 2036.

During his tenure as prime minister in 2011, Putin established the All-Russia People's Front (ONF), a political coalition aimed at bringing together United Russia and various non-governmental organizations in the country. The ONF seeks to foster formal alliances between the ruling party and Russian NGOs.

While Putin is positioning himself for another presidential term, other candidates, including representatives from the Communist and Liberal Democratic parties, have traditionally presented themselves as opposition figures. Boris Nadezhdin, a Liberal-leaning politician, is among the few who have declared their intention to run, criticizing Putin for his handling of the war in Ukraine.

On the federal level, Russia conducts presidential elections to choose the head of state and parliamentary elections for one of the two chambers of the Federal Assembly. Since 2008, the president is eligible to hold four consecutive six-year terms. The upcoming election is poised to shape the political landscape in Russia, with Putin once again at the center of the electoral narrative.