MOSCOW, Russia – President Vladimir Putin said Friday he will run for re-election in 2024, Russian news agencies reported, allowing the Kremlin leader to extend his decades-long grip on power into the 2030s. Following a controversial constitutional reform in 2020, Putin could stay in power until at least 2036. Putin tightened media rules on covering the 2024 election in November, banning some independent media outlets from accessing polling stations. Five major parties have been allowed to submit a candidate for the 2024 vote without collecting signatures, all of which support the Kremlin and the offensive in Ukraine. Analysts say Putin has sensed revived fortunes as Western support for Ukraine frays and Kyiv’s counter-offensive fails to pierce heavily entrenched Russian lines.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer December 08, 2023 18:28 UTC