Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced that he will be running for a fifth term in the presidential elections, set to be held next year. Putin made the announcement at a ceremony in the Kremlin, stating “I believe there is no other option,” and that he plans to run for the position of president. His arrival would continue his already-long-standing role as head of state, as he has been in power since 1999 and served as president from 2000-2008 and since 2012.
In early December, Russia’s Federation Council unanimously voted for the election date to be set for March 17, 2023. The winner of the election will be formally inaugurated in May, and no other politicians have announced plans to contest the election. The country’s leader has enjoyed broad public support, with approval ratings typically exceeding 80 percent.
Mr. Putin has won all previous presidential elections, marked by high approval ratings. In 2018, Putin won almost 77% of the vote in a poll with a 67.5% voter turnout. The election was widely criticized for an uneven playing field by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, although it stated that candidates had been able to “campaign freely”. Following the 2018 poll, the Russian constitution was amended to allow elected presidents to serve for more than two terms in a row.
In the upcoming election, residents of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhya, the four recently annexed Ukrainian regions, will be participating. These regions were annexed by Russia after referendums held in all four regions showed that a majority of residents voted to join Russia. Despite the international community’s condemnation of these actions, Russia has continued its military control over the territories and Crimea, which was similarly annexed in 2014. While the West views Mr. Putin as a dictator and war criminal, his approval ratings have continued to rise in recent years.