Vladimir Putin, the leader of Russia, has chosen to run for president in March of next year, news agencies reported on Friday. This decision will enable Putin to maintain his decades-long hold on power.
Following an awards ceremony for army troops at the Kremlin, Putin informed Russian military commander Lieutenant Colonel Artyom Zhoga about his decision to take part in the next vote, according to state-run news media.According to Zhoga,
“The president has stated that he will run for president of the Russian Federation,” the state-owned news outlet RIA Novosti reported.
”We all—I say this with confidence—in the reunited territories, all of Russia, support him. We are very happy that he heard our request” to participate, Zhoga added, referring to the Ukrainian territories Moscow claims as its own.
Putin, however, has yet to make a formal announcement that he will compete in the vote scheduled to take place between March 15 and 17 next year.
“Our president has never avoided and does not avoid responsible decisions,” said Valentina Matvienko, the head of Russia’s upper house of parliament.
“And today he has once again confirmed this. He confirmed that at the moment of a historic choice and a historic challenge,” she added.
According to commentators, Putin is unlikely to encounter any significant opposition and is likely to pursue a broad mandate to mask domestic divisions around the situation in Ukraine.
AFP
