Moscow [Russia], December 8: Russia's upper house of parliament, the Federation Council, has officially scheduled the country's next presidential election for March 17, 2024.
Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to officially declare his candidacy soon. For days now, state television has been showing programmes in which citizens swear allegiance to the 71-year-old Kremlin leader and pledge to vote for him in his fifth candidacy.
Putin had the constitution changed specifically so that he could run again. If he is re-elected, he could remain in office until 2030 and run again in 2036.
Polling stations are to be open for three days, according to the head of the Central Election Commission, Ella Pamfilova. Arrangements for voting in the Russian-occupied parts of the Ukrainian regions of Kherson, Zaporizhzhya, Donetsk and Luhansk are to be decided at a later date.
The Kremlin is expecting a record vote in support of Putin in the election, which is being held against the backdrop of the Russian war against Ukraine.
The president portrays himself as a champion against the US' supposed quest for supremacy and against the eastward expansion of NATO. The characterization of the West as an enemy that Putin is resisting strikes a chord with many Russians.
Other possible candidates are seen as having no chance of winning. In the 2018 vote, Putin received 76.69 percent of the votes. The Kremlin is endeavouring to assemble a field of candidates in order to create the appearance of a genuine contest.
Source: Qatar Tribune
