After 24 years in power, Russia’s Putin to contest for presidency again next year

Vladimir Putin of Russia Federation has revealed his plan to run in presidential elections in March next year despite his decades-long grip on power.

Putin told Lieutenant Colonel Artyom Zhoga, a Russian military officer, about his decision to participate in the upcoming vote following an awards ceremony for army personnel at the Kremlin, state-run news agencies reported.

Putin has been at the helms of affairs in  since 1999.  He has held continuous positions as president or prime minister since 1999: as prime minister from 1999 to 2000 and from 2008 to 2012, and as president from 2000 to 2008 and since 2012.

Zhoga was cited as saying by state-run news agency RIA Novosti, as saying, ”The president has said that he will run for president of the Russian Federation.”

”We all—I say this with confidence—in the reunited territories, all of Russia, support him. We are very happy that he heard our request to participate,” Zhoga added, referring to the Ukrainian territories Moscow claims as its own.

Putin, however, has yet to make a formal announcement that he will compete in the vote scheduled to take place between March 15 and 17 next year.

“Our president has never avoided and does not avoid responsible decisions,” said Valentina Matvienko, the head of Russia’s upper house of parliament.

“And today he has once again confirmed this. He confirmed that at the moment of a historic choice and a historic challenge,” she added.

Putin will not face any major challengers and will likely seek as big a mandate as possible to conceal domestic discord over the Ukraine conflict, analysts say.

AFP