Putin determined to run in next year’s presidential election…stay in power until 2030 if re-elected

Russian President Vladimir Putin has decided to run for re-election next year, multiple sources told Reuters on the 6th (local time). The Russian presidential election is scheduled for March 24 next year.

Reuters confirmed this information through six sources who are well-informed about the matter, adding that all the sources requested anonymity due to the political sensitivity of the issue.

The sources indicated that news of Putin’s decision has been emerging recently, and his close associates are preparing for the election campaign and the election itself.

According to the report, one source said, “The decision has been made. He will run.” Another diplomatic source stated, “President Putin made this decision recently, and an announcement will be made soon.”

Reuters speculated that next year’s election would be a mere formality, given that Putin currently enjoys a nearly 80% approval rating.

The certainty of his victory comes from the fact that Putin receives support from the state and state-owned media, and there is virtually no opposition among the public.

Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin spokesperson, avoided commenting, stating, “President Putin has not made any statement regarding this, and there has been no announcement about the official start of the election campaign.”

However, last month he said, “Although President Putin has not yet announced his candidacy for the 2024 election, if he decides to run, there will be no one who can compete with him.”

If Putin is successful in this election, he will maintain power for another six years until 2030.

On Putin, who celebrated his 71st birthday last month on the 7th, foreign intelligence agencies believe he will rule for life.

Except for the four years (2008-2012) when he handed over the presidency to his ally Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of the National Security Council, Putin has held power since he took over the presidency from Boris Yeltsin, who suddenly retired on December 31, 1999.