Putin to vie as Russian president for the fifth term

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said he will stand again for a fifth term in office. He spoke about his intentions during an awards ceremony for participants in the war in Ukraine.
It comes a day after officials set 15-17 March 2024 as dates for the presidential election. Mr Putin’s re-election is seen as inevitable, with opposition almost non-existent and Russian media completely under his control.
The 71 year old has already been in power in Russia longer than any ruler since Josef Stalin. A new term would see him remain as president until at least 2030.
He had been widely expected to stand again, amid huge challenges brought about by his 2022 invasion of Ukraine and resulting stand-off with the West. He is unlikely to face any serious opposition, with most genuine opponents either dead, behind bars or in exile.
On Thursday, Russia’s upper house of parliament, the Federation Council, announced the elections. Shortly afterwards, the country’s electoral commission said they would be held over three days, from 15-17 March.
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.
His words were in answer to a request that he stand again for election from Lt-Col Artyom Zhoga, who heads a former pro-Russian separatist unit in eastern Ukraine which is now part of the Russian military.
“I will be with the people and I will stand for election for the post of president,” 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. After winning elections a few months later, he served 2 terms. Then, after switching to the job of prime minister in 2008-12, he returned for 2 more.
But his grip on power, which has never really been in doubt, has tightened throughout his leadership.
Agencies