Vladimir Putin to Run for Next Presidential Election in Russia

Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia, announced on Wednesday, December 6, that he will be a candidate in the next presidential election, which will take place in about four months. According to the Associated Press, if Mr. Putin wins a second term and continues for another six years until 2024, he will be the longest-serving ruler in Russian history after Joseph Stalin. Mr. Putin chose the city of Nizhny Novgorod and the GAZ automobile factory to announce his candidacy and spoke to his supporters. The President of Russia stated, 'I could not find a better time and place to announce my candidacy.' He then added, while encouraging his supporters, 'Thank you for your support, and I announce that I will participate in the presidential election.' Vladimir Putin has held power in Russia since 2000. He has previously served two terms as president. After that, due to restrictions on serving more than two terms, he supported his close ally Dmitry Medvedev in the presidential election and was elected as prime minister. Medvedev, while serving as President of Russia, extended the presidential term from four years to six years. After one term in the presidency, Mr. Medvedev stepped aside, and in 2012, Vladimir Putin regained the presidency. Dmitry Medvedev is currently the Prime Minister of Russia. Recently, there were signs of doubt regarding Mr. Putin's participation in the upcoming presidential election, which political experts described as a Kremlin political maneuver. According to the Associated Press, the Kremlin was concerned about voter apathy in Russia. As a result, the delay in announcing his candidacy by Putin caused the Russian society to show interest in the future of the elections. The report indicates that Mr. Putin's popularity among the Russian people is close to 80%, which gives him confidence that he will win the presidential election easily in the first round. The working class and government employees form the core of Mr. Putin's supporters. Mr. Putin expressed his gratitude to the workers at the automobile factory, saying, 'I appreciate your services, your attitude towards your work, your factory, your city, and your country. I am confident that we will all succeed together.' Following the announcement of Mr. Putin's candidacy in the presidential election, several officials and lawmakers in Russia reacted to it. Vyacheslav Volodin, the Speaker of the State Duma in Russia, said, 'This decision gives us confidence about tomorrow. This decision was expected, but we were a bit worried.' The Federation Council is set to announce the official start of the presidential election process this month. Among other candidates, Gennady Zyuganov from the Communist Party, Vladimir Zhirinovsky, an extreme nationalist, and Grigory Yavlinsky, a liberal leader, have previously announced their candidacy for the presidential election. Ksenia Sobchak, a television star and daughter of Anatoly Sobchak, the former mayor of St. Petersburg and Putin's former boss in the 1990s, is expected to join the list of presidential candidates in Russia. The most serious competitor for Mr. Putin is Alexei Navalny, who intends to run in the presidential election but is officially barred from participating due to his criminal record, which he claims was politically motivated. Navalny's supporters have initiated political actions and protests across Russia to pressure the Kremlin to allow him to participate in the elections.