Putin dreams of staying in power for life…”May have decided to run for president next year”

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Russian President Vladimir Putin[Reuters]

[Herald Economy=Reporter Lee Min-kyung] Russian President Vladimir Putin has decided to run in next year’s presidential election, Reuters reported on the 6th (local time), citing multiple sources.

President Putin has recently resolved to run in the Russian presidential election on March 24th next year.

Reuters confirmed this through six sources who are well-informed about the matter. However, they added that all sources requested anonymity due to political sensitivity.

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

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.”

Another source confirmed the report from the Russian media ‘Kommersant’ last month that President Putin could announce his candidacy for the presidential election this month, saying, “Planned hints will come out within a few weeks.”

Reuters predicted that next year’s election would be merely a formal procedure, given that President Putin currently enjoys a support rate nearing 80%.

The certainty of victory comes from the fact that President Putin is receiving support from the state and state-run media, and there is almost no opposition among the public.

Dmitry Peskov, a Kremlin spokesman, avoided commenting, saying, “President Putin has not made any statement on this matter, and there has been no announcement about the official start of the election campaign.”

However, he said last month, “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 he succeeds in re-election in this election, President Putin will maintain power for another six years until 2030.

Foreign intelligence and others believe that Putin, who turned 71 last month, will rule for life.

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

He is already the longest-serving president in Russia since Joseph Stalin, who ruled for about 30 years. He has surpassed the 18-year tenure of Leonid Brezhnev, Secretary of the Soviet Communist Party.

However, Reuters pointed out that President Putin must lead Russia, which is facing its biggest crisis in decades.

He is in severe conflict with the West since conducting a ‘special military operation’ in Ukraine in February last year, and is facing external shocks due to economic sanctions resulting from it.

In June last year, Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of the mercenary company Wagner Group, also staged a rebellion. Prigozhin ultimately failed in the rebellion and died in a plane crash last August.

One source predicted, “Big changes will not be easy in Russia, as it is facing the complex power of the West.”