Putin’s Return After Trump’s Reign

Two months before the Russian presidential election, President Vladimir Putin of Russia has officially begun his re-election campaign. According to TASS news agency and others on the 17th (local time), President Putin visited an election office near the Kremlin in Gostiny Dvor in Moscow for the first time. President Putin expressed his gratitude to the joint election headquarters and volunteers. The election office told TASS that “preparations for the presidential election have begun.”

On December 8th last month, President Putin declared his candidacy in response to a request from Artur Zoga, commander of the Sparta Battalion of the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), who participated in the ‘special military operation’, to “run in the election”. This visit is the first time President Putin has participated in an event as a presidential candidate since his candidacy announcement. The Russian presidential election is scheduled from March 15th to 17th.

Currently, President Putin’s side is pushing ahead with the procedure for candidate registration. In order to run for president of Russia, more than 300,000 signatures must be secured by the 31st. President Putin has secured signatures far exceeding 300,000, but he is still receiving endorsements. So far, it has been reported that over 2.5 million people have signed.

President Putin plans to hold his position until 2030 if he succeeds in the ‘5th term’ in this election. Despite the war and Western sanctions, President Putin is expected to proudly present his ‘defensive’ economic performance.

Meanwhile, other candidates are also moving for the Russian presidential election in March. Boris Nadezhdin, the leader of the Civil Freedom Party, criticized on the 11th, saying, “The Russia-Ukraine war is a big mistake by Putin, and the consequences will be very serious.” However, foreign media have a strong possibility of President Putin’s 5th term.