Ricardo Paulino
After a Kremlin Award ceremony last week, President Putin has announced he will run for election on the next 17th of March. Vladimir Putin has been in power for more than two decades. In 2020, Russia’s Constitution was amended increasing the presidential term from four to six years. The amend allow Mr. Putin to run as president again with a clean slate. If he wins the elections next year, he will be doing so until 2030, and also, he could still run for president until 2036, if he is still able to do it.
The real opposition, which is main lead by Aleksey Navalny, is literally in prison. The vast majority of candidates against the Russian Government are in exile or in prison, which is why the elections held in Russia are always questioned by Western countries and leaders of the European Union, as they allege that they lack transparency.
“I’d like to make it clear once again that everyone has the right to free expression, but this is can only happen within the existing legal framework. Anyone going a step too far in this regard isn’t just acting counterproductively, but even dangerously”, Warned President Putin during a student conference early this year.
For its part, this is what Petr Tolstoy, Deputy Chairman of the State Duma and supporter of Putin’s policies, thinks on the leader opposition Aleksey Navalny: “Navalny encourages his supporters to take to the streets and thereby break the law. This is how they then get caught up in the wheels of justice”.
The US Treasury Department reported that Moscow was spending over $100 billion on defence, or over one-third of its entire projected spending for 2023. In turn, according to reports made by British Intelligence, the Russian army has lost almost 90% of the troops deployed since the war with Ukraine began 2 years ago.
The potential victory in 2024 would underscore Putin's enduring popularity as voters back his leadership amid geopolitical challenges. Critics argue that this victory may further consolidate his power, while his supporters applaud his resilience in leading the nation through turbulent times. The re-election lays the groundwork for Russia's continued influence on the world stage under Putin's unwavering leadership.
Years in power for Putin since he started in Politics
1999 first Premiership
1999- 2000 Acting Presidency
2000-2004 first presidential term
2004-2008 second presidential term
2008-2012 second premiership
2012-2018 third presidential term
2018-present fourth presidential term
Edited by: Jonathan Nwabenu
