MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday he would, unsurprisingly, run in the 2024 presidential election.
“I am going to run for president,” declared Vladimir Putin, according to images broadcast by state television.
“I will not hide that I have had different opinions at different times but now is the time to make a decision,” he added.
Vladimir Putin was speaking at an awards ceremony for Russian soldiers who fought in Ukraine.
In power since 1999 and the end of Boris Yeltsin’s presidency, Vladimir Putin is already the longest-lived Russian leader since Josef Stalin, beating the 18-year reign of Leonid Brezhnev.
The election should be a formality for Vladimir Putin who benefits from the support of the state and the media and in the absence of any public dispute.
His opponents describe this presidential election as a sham of democracy.
His supporters deny these accusations and point to studies which show that the 71-year-old leader enjoys an approval rate above 80% among the Russian population.
(Reuters editorial; French version by Zhifan Liu, editing by Tangi Salaün)
©2023 Thomson Reuters, all rights reserved. Reuters content is the intellectual property of Thomson Reuters or its third party content providers. Any copying, republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Reuters. Thomson Reuters shall not be liable for any errors or delays in content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon. “Reuters” and the Reuters Logo are trademarks of Thomson Reuters and its affiliated companies.