The Russian president has only been put forward as a party nominee once in his more than 20-year political career
Russian President Vladimir Putin will seek reelection for a fifth term in office next year as an independent candidate. Putin ran as a party nominee only once, in 2012.
On Monday, Putin filed papers to register as a presidential candidate with Russia’s Central Election Commission, as shown by footage from the scene circulated by Russian journalist Pavel Zarubin.
The president will now need to gather at least 300,000 signatures from his supporters, as required by Russian law in order for independent candidates to make it onto the ballot.
Putin’s bid was unanimously backed by the convention of the ruling United Russia party on Sunday. The party’s chair, ex-President Dmitry Medvedev, said “there is not a vestige of doubt who should be at the helm of the Russian state in this turbulent period.” The party will “do its best to help incumbent President Vladimir Putin secure a landslide victory once again,” Medvedev stressed.
On Saturday, Putin’s bid was also backed by an independent action group, which included a number of high-profile officials, experts, actors, and athletes.
The Russian president announced his intention to seek reelection early this month at a meeting with servicemen, during which he awarded Hero of Russia medals to those who had distinguished themselves in the Ukraine conflict.
The presidential election is scheduled for a three-day period from March 15 to 17, with the winner to be inaugurated in May. It will be the first time a presidential election in Russia has been held over multiple days, after the format was introduced during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Several major Russian parties, including the Communist Party, the Liberal Democratic Party (LDPR), and New People have signaled they will put forward candidates. In addition, multiple public figures and politicians have already announced their intent to run for office as independents.
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