Russia’s ruling party has unanimously endorsed incumbent President Vladimir Putin’s bid to secure another six years in power in election polls slated for March 2024.
“The decision has been adopted unanimously,” Dmitry Medvedev, leader of the ruling United Russia party, announced on Dec. 17.
Mr. Medvedev, who previously served as president and prime minister, now holds the post of deputy head of the country’s Security Council.
The decision was taken at a party congress in Moscow, where Mr. Medvedev urged party members to “mobilize all supporters” behind Mr. Putin’s campaign.
United Russia currently holds 325 out of 450 seats in the State Duma, the lower house of Russia’s parliament.
‘Absolutely Indisputable’
Mr. Medvedev also said Mr. Putin’s reelection should be “legitimate and absolutely indisputable.”
“We must mobilize supporters to prevent disruptions and outside attempts to influence the campaign, disseminate false information, and violate public order,” he said.
Mr. Putin led United Russia during Mr. Medvedev’s previous stint as president.
Although Mr. Putin is no longer a formal member of the party, he’s widely regarded as its de facto leader.
According to top United Russia officials, more than 3.5 million party supporters plan to take part in his reelection campaign.
Speaking at the congress, Mr. Putin thanked the party for its support.
He also pledged, if reelected, to “continue improving democratic institutions and mechanisms of grass-roots democracy and local self-rule.”
“The most important task is to enhance efficiency at all levels of government,” Mr. Putin told supporters. “In this regard, much remains to be done.”
The Just Russia party, which holds 27 seats in the State Duma, has also endorsed Mr. Putin’s candidacy.
According to official Russian sources, Mr. Putin enjoys broad public support, with approval ratings typically topping 80 percent.
The Epoch Times couldn’t independently verify his official approval ratings, which Mr. Putin’s critics—both at home and abroad—say are exaggerated.
A day before the party congress, hundreds of prominent public figures formally nominated Mr. Putin to enter the election as an independent.
According to Russian electoral laws, independent candidates must garner the backing of at least 500 supporters.
Once this backing is secured, they must then collect at least 300,000 signatures—from regions across the country—in support of their candidacy.
On Dec. 17, Yekaterina Duntsova, Mr. Putin’s first challenger, reportedly garnered the backing of more than 500 supporters in Moscow.
‘No Other Option’
Mr. Putin first announced his intention to seek a fresh six-year term on Dec. 8.He made the announcement at a military award ceremony for veterans of the ongoing war in Ukraine.
“I believe there is no other option,” he said at the televised event, which was held at the Kremlin.
A victory in the upcoming poll would allow Mr. Putin, who first assumed the presidency in 1999, to remain in power until 2030.
A day before his announcement, Russia’s Federation Council (the upper house of parliament) voted to hold the election on March 15–17 next year.
Residents of four annexed Ukrainian regions—Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhya—will take part in the upcoming election.
In September 2022, Russia effectively absorbed the four regions—after holding referendums—and now considers them Russian Federation territory.
Ukraine and its Western allies reject the referendums and view the annexations by Russia as illegal land grabs.
Kyiv has strongly condemned Moscow’s plan to conduct the March 2024 presidential poll on what it considers “occupied territory.”
“We call on the international community to resolutely condemn Russia’s intention to hold presidential elections in the occupied Ukrainian territories and to impose sanctions on those involved,” Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry stated on Dec. 9.
It also warned countries and organizations against sending observers to the “pseudo-elections,” saying offenders would face “criminal responsibility.”
“Any election in Russia has nothing to do with democracy,” the ministry stated. “They serve only as a tool to keep the Russian regime in power.”
While the West frequently portrays Mr. Putin as a dictator and war criminal, his approval rating has continued to rise—officially at least—despite his ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
Mr. Putin, 71, was first appointed acting president by Boris Yeltsin on the final day of 1999.
Mr. Yeltsin, the country’s first post-Soviet leader, served as Russia’s president from 1991 to 1999, when he appointed Mr. Putin as his successor.
In 2000, Mr. Putin won a presidential election with 53 percent of the vote. He also handily won a 2004 reelection bid with 71 percent of all votes cast.
Mr. Medvedev, a close Putin ally, then assumed the presidency after winning a 2008 presidential poll, while Mr. Putin assumed the post of prime minister.
Mr. Putin returned to the presidency in 2012, clinching almost 64 percent of the vote.
‘Uneven Playing Field’
Mr. Putin also won that election, in which he likewise ran as an independent, with almost 77 percent of all votes cast.Following the poll, a report released by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe stated that candidates had been able to “campaign freely.”
Nevertheless, the report stated that “the extensive and uncritical coverage of the incumbent [Mr. Putin] in most media resulted in an uneven playing field.”
