The Russian presidential election (March 15-17, 2024) is the country’s eighth presidential election since the dissolution of the USSR. Vladimir Putin is contesting for a fifth term, also the first time after the 2020 constitutional amendment nullifying his previous terms. He was first elected in 2000 and then re-elected in 2004, 2012 and 2018, with a brief interlude from 2008-2012 when he was the Prime Minister, making his trusted man Dmitry Medvedev the President. Mr. Putin remained the de facto ruler, and it was to avoid the constitutional requirement that forbade the sitting President to seek a third consecutive term.
No serious opponent, the future
In this election, the outcome of which is a foregone conclusion, given that there is no serious contender in the foray, he will be in power for the next six years. He can be re-elected in 2030 and technically remain in power until 2036. Mr. Putin will contest as an independent candidate in 2024. The other three contenders, Nikolai Kharitonov (in his 70s) of the Russian Communist Party, Leonid Slutsky (in his 50s) of the nationalist Liberal Democratic Party of Russia, and Vladislav Davankov (40) of the New People Party, are also in the race. Mr. Kharitonov was a distant second in the 2004 election. All three candidates are considered to be very close to Mr. Putin and have been supportive of the Kremlin’s policies, which includes the invasion of Ukraine. In a way, they are puppets in the well-orchestrated drama of the Russian presidential election.
