Vladimir Putin will be taking part in the March presidential elections in Russia, Reuters news agency reported on Monday (Nov 6) citing sources.
If he wins, which he most likely will, the Russian leader, who turned 71 on Oct 7, will remain in power until 2030, making him the longest-serving leader in Russia since the inception of the Soviet Union.
Putin succeeded Boris Yeltsin on the last day of 1999. He has already served as president for longer than any other Russian ruler since Josef Stalin.
Putin pegged to be the winner
Though the confirmation hasn’t been made official yet, Reuters reported that Putin enjoys 80 per cent approval ratings.
With no opposition leader rallying that much support, and the supposed support from the state, Putin is pegged to be the clear winner.
“The decision has been made – he will run,” one of the sources who has knowledge of planning told Reuters.
Kommersant newspaper also reported, citing a source, that a formal announced would made with a few weeks.
Another source told Reuters that Putin’s advisers were preparing for Putin’s participation and that Putin has made his mind about the presidential elections.
“The world we look out upon is very dangerous,” one of the sources was quoted as saying.
Official confirmation awaited
There has been no official confirmation from the Kremlin till now, but spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in September that if Putin decided to run, then no one would be able to compete with him.
The reports of Putin running for president come at a time when rumours about his purported ill health have been raging since the Russia-Ukraine war.
The Kremlin has dismissed reports that Putin was unwell as disinformation spread by the West.
“Everything is fine with him, this is absolutely another fake,” Peskov responded on Oct 24 when asked about an unsourced report by a Russian Telegram channel, picked up by some Western media, that the President had suffered a serious health problem.
The spokesman laughed in response to a further question about body doubles, and denied that Putin had any.
“This belongs to the category of absurd information hoaxes that a whole series of media discuss with enviable tenacity. This evokes nothing but a smile,” Peskov said.
(With inputs from agencies)
