Putin’s running for president again (duh!)
Who could have seen this coming?!
Incumbent Vladimir Putin has decided to run for president again in the upcoming 2024 Russian elections, according to a report by Reuters.
While everyone expects Putin — who has been Russia’s leader on and off (but mainly on) since 1999 — to seek reelection as president, his office has not confirmed the news yet.
But according to Monday’s report, which cites six anonymous sources, the decision has been made and the Russian leader is expected to make a public announcement “soon.”
Russian presidential elections are slated for March 2024. When Putin wins — a near-certainty since he allows virtually no opposition to his regime — he would remain president until at least 2030.
Last month, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Putin — who has been waging all-out war on Ukraine since February 2022 — could “hardly” face any real competition if he was to run again, given that he is the “unquestionably top-ranked political figure” in the country.
Responding to Reuters’ report, Peskov on Monday said Putin was yet to announce his candidacy.
“Putin has not yet made any statements on this matter. And the campaign itself has not yet been officially announced,” Peskov said, reported Russian state-run news agency TASS.
