Vladimir Putin to stand for re-election as president next year
The 71-year-old could now stay in power until at least 2030. Recent constitutional changes have also paved the way for him to potentially remain in the job even longer.
Friday 8 December 2023 15:13, UK
Russian President Vladimir Putin will run for office again in 2024.
The 71-year-old - whose power has been questioned like never before over the costly war in Ukraine - will be widely expected to win and secure another six years in the Kremlin, taking him to 2030.
He made the announcement during a medal ceremony for Russian soldiers fighting in Ukraine, which was broadcast on state TV.
When asked by lieutenant colonel Artyom Zhoga, a "Hero of Russia" gold star recipient, if he would stand again, the president replied: "I understand there is no other way to act today, now is the time to make a decision, I will run."
Recent constitutional changes have paved the way for Mr Putin to potentially run again in 2030, opening up the possibility of staying in power up until 2036.
Mr Putin is already the country's longest-serving leader since Josef Stalin, beating even Leonid Brezhnev's 18-year tenure.
He first became president in 1999.
Mr Putin did not run in 2008 because of term limits but was appointed prime minister, a role in which he was still widely seen as effectively Russia's leader. In 2012, he returned to the Kremlin.
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He is expected to face only token opposition in the next election, scheduled to be held on 17 March.
Many of his political rivals have either left Russia or been jailed, including high-profile figures such as Alexei Navalny, who recently lost an appeal against an additional 19-year prison sentence.
Putin will win - with a substantial majority
The fact that Vladimir Putin is running again for president will surprise exactly no one.
He set the stage for this back in 2020, when he held a referendum to secure constitutional changes which would limit the number of times a president can run to two consecutive six year terms, and conveniently zero his.
That means he can run till 2036, at which point he will be 83 years old.
The question was when he would make the announcement - and how he would navigate the issue of his "special military operation" during the campaign.
Despite protestations that this was a spur of the moment thing, there is no doubt that it was carefully choreographed.
Putin was asked by the Ukrainian-born commander of a Russian military unit in Donbas if he would run "on behalf of all our people, all of Donbas, our joined lands".
The optics, as far as the Kremlin is concerned, are that the people should believe that the residents of Donbas need Vladimir Putin to keep fighting their corner.
There is no doubt that Putin will win and with a substantial majority.
He has no real competition, he has locked up key opposition figures like Alexei Navalny and anyone allowed to run against him will be doing so largely to demonstrate how minimal opposition is to his rule and thus to further validate his inevitable victory.
An end to Vladimir Putin's tenure will not be decided at the ballot box. His political survival may depend on the outcome of this war, but at the moment Russia鈥檚 position seems relatively strong - his army is able to hold the line, Ukraine's counter-offensive has hardly made a dent and Russia鈥檚 war economy is on overdrive.
In Russia - indeed anywhere - it is best to expect the unexpected. But perhaps, not next 17 March when Russia's election committee announces its results.
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Mr Putin's grip on power came into question earlier this year during a short-lived rebellion by mercenaries from the Wagner Group, led by Yevgeny Prigozhin.
However the group quickly backed down and two months later Mr Prigozhin was killed in a plane crash north of Moscow.
Mr Putin has also faced a string of protests against the war in Ukraine. Hundreds of Russians have been arrested in police crackdowns on the demonstrations.