For Putin, 71, the election is a formality: with the support of the state, the state-run media and almost no mainstream public dissent, he is certain to win. (AP Photo)Vladimir Putin will run for president again as an independent candidate with a wide support base but not on a party ticket, the state-backed RIA news agency cited two senior pro-Kremlin lawmakers as saying on Saturday. Putin, who has been in power as either president or prime minister for more than two decades, has announced he will seek another six-year term in March next year in an election he is comfortably expected to win.

Source: Indian Express December 16, 2023 22:11 UTC