Russia officially announced Vladimir Putin’s candidacy for the upcoming presidential elections in March, a contest he’s widely expected to win.
At 71, Putin has been at Russia’s helm since the early 2000s, securing four presidential victories and briefly serving as prime minister in a political landscape where opposition voices are scarce.
The Central Election Commission confirmed Putin’s self-nomination alongside Leonid Slutsky, a staunch Putin supporter, as candidates for the election.
Scheduled from March 15 to 17, the election’s three-day span has drawn criticism for potentially compromising transparency, especially after a contentious constitutional reform in 2020 extended Putin’s potential tenure until 2036.
Concerns about election integrity persist, with rights groups highlighting past irregularities and the likely exclusion of independent observers.
While Putin faces no formidable challengers, liberal candidate Boris Nadezhdin has gathered enough signatures to qualify, though uncertainty looms over his candidacy amid Kremlin skepticism of his viability as a contender.
