The Russian authorities announced this Monday that they had validated Vladimir Putin’s candidacy for the presidential election in March, a vote that the head of state must dominate, the opposition having been largely muzzled by repression. “The Russian Election Commission has registered the candidacy of Vladimir Putin for the post of president,” this institution said on Telegram.
The current 71-year-old president, in power for almost a quarter of a century, formalized in December his intention to run for a new term in the election which will take place from March 15 to 17. The election appears to be a simple formality, the Kremlin’s detractors having been crushed by repression, particularly since the Russian assault on Ukraine almost two years ago.
A constitutional revision to stay in power until 2036
An opponent, Boris Nadejdine, is still trying to validate his candidacy, which has generated some unexpected enthusiasm in recent weeks. Tens of thousands of Russians mobilized to sign the petition necessary to register his candidacy.
He plans to deliver more than 100,000 initials of support from fellow citizens on Wednesday to the Central Electoral Commission, the body, under government control, which approves or rejects candidacies. This veteran of political life, little known to the general public, told AFP that he had few illusions about the outcome of the election but hoped that it would mark the “beginning of the end” of the Putin era.
The election will take place over three days, from March 15 to 17. A constitutional revision allows Vladimir Putin to remain in power until 2036. Almost all major opponents, such as anti-corruption activist Alexeï Navalny, have been thrown in prison or driven into exile.