Vladimir Putin surprised even his closest associates on Friday, writes the independent online newspaper Meduza. It was expected that he would announce his presidential candidacy during an annual press conference on 14 December. Instead, the announcement came in connection with the awarding of orders to “Heroes of Russia” in the Kremlin. One of those who had received the “Gold Star”, Artyom Zhoga from occupied Donetsk, bluntly asked Putin to shut up. – I will run as a presidential candidate, Putin replied. Commander Artyom Zjoga (left) has been praised several times by President Putin for his efforts in the war in Ukraine. Photo: Mikhail KLIMENTYEV/POOL / AFP Zjoga told reporters afterward how pleased he was with the response. The direction was impeccable. Putin is “wanted” by those fighting on the ground in the war he started. His most important task now is to end that war in Russia’s favor. The presidential election is on March 17. On the surface, it is a democratic election with several candidates. But in reality, it is almost certain that Putin will win. Here are five things you should know about the Russian presidential election. Putin can stay in office until 2036 When Putin was elected for the first time, in March 2000, presidential terms were 4 years, and the same person could only serve two terms. Therefore, Putin was “only” prime minister from 2008-2012. But a constitutional amendment opened up two 6-year presidential terms and at the same time reset the calculation to zero. Thus, Putin could start anew. The same “restart of the clock” occurred in connection with extensive changes to the constitution in 2020. This opened the door for Putin to serve for two more terms, that is, theoretically until 2036. By then, Putin will be 83 years old. Should that happen, Vladimir Putin will have served longer than Joseph Stalin. He was general secretary of the Communist Party and the dictatorial leadership of the Soviet Union. A relatively young Putin. At the age of 48, he went from being prime minister to becoming president in 2000. Photo: Alexander Zemlianichenko / AP Conditions for running as a candidate The requirements for candidates were tightened in connection with the constitutional amendments in 2020. You must be 35 years old ( unchanged requirement). You must have lived in Russia for at least 25 years (previously 10 years). You cannot hold foreign citizenship or have a residence permit in another country. New in 2020 was that you also cannot have had citizenship or a residence permit previously. You cannot be convicted of “extremist activity”. This means that the imprisoned opposition leader Alexei Navalny cannot run. Nor can you be fined for spreading extremist material. You cannot be classified as a “foreign agent”. You are then automatically banned from government and municipal positions. According to the Russian electoral law, candidates from parties not represented in the Duma must collect at least 100,000 signatures from at least 40 of Russia’s regions. That is just under half of all “federal subjects”. If they run as independents, 300,000 signatures are required. Opposing candidates In addition to Putin, five people have so far said they want to participate. None of them come from parties represented in the Duma. The three most famous are these: Boris Nadezhdin, former representative in the Duma. He now sits on the city council in Moscow. He caused a stir when he said in a debate program on the state television channel NTV that Putin had been misinformed into believing that Russian forces would be welcomed in Ukraine. He has also called the war in Ukraine a “terrible mistake”. Nadezhdin represents the Citizens’ Initiative, a relatively unknown party. It is unclear whether he will be able to collect the required number of signatures. Ekaterina Duntsova, journalist and lawyer from Tver, north of Moscow. Duntsova is also clearly in opposition to the current regime. Among other things, she has condemned the Russian Supreme Court’s decision to in practice ban LGBT+ organizations in Russia. As an independent, she must collect 300,000 signatures to be registered as a candidate. Igor Girkin, former employee of the Russian security police FSB. He was also “defense minister” during the first phase of the Russian-led war in Donetsk in 2014–15. After the major invasion last year, Girkin has criticized the Russian defense for not going hard enough. He formed the organization “The Club for angry patriots”, but is now in prison. Igor Girkin is a well-known nationalist in Russia, and supports the Russian warfare in Ukraine. Photo: Maxim Shemetov / Reuters In addition, it is expected that several of the parties in the Duma will field candidates. This applies, among other things, to the Communist Party, Jabloko and the Liberal Democratic Party. No ordinary election campaign Although the election outwardly resembles a democratic election, in reality there is much that makes the difference. Everything Putin says and does in public is covered in detail by the state television channels. None of the others have such access to TV advertising. Open opposition to the war and defense of queers are punishable, so neither Nadezhdin nor Duntsova will gain a large audience for their views. Yekaterina Duntsova has stated that she wants to stop the war in Ukraine, as well as release political prisoners. Photo: Evgenia Novozhenina / Reuters The country’s most prominent opposition figure, Alexei Navalny, is in prison. In the 2018 presidential election, Vladimir Putin received 77.5 percent of the vote. That is far above the fifty percent required to avoid a second round of elections. The non-governmental organization “Golos” specializes in uncovering irregularities in elections. In 2018, one of the findings was that many were pressured to participate in the election. Golos has since been classified as a “foreign agent”. Focus on turnout The polling stations will be open for 3 days, from 15–17 March. The head of the Electoral Commission, Ella Pamfilova, says that “voters like the format”, which was first introduced during the pandemic. The critics fear that storing ballot boxes overnight locally will increase the chances of electoral fraud. In the four partially occupied counties in Ukraine, “mobile polling stations” will also be allowed. Electronic voting will be allowed in a maximum of 30 regions, where this has been tested previously. Russians abroad can vote at Russian embassies and consulates. Putin casts his vote in the presidential election in 2018. Then he received about 77 percent of the vote. Photo: Mikhail Klimentyev/Sputnik / AP In the 2018 presidential election, turnout was 67.5 percent. In the parliamentary election in 2021, just under 52 percent of Russians voted. Putin is not going to stand in any debate with his opponents. But with the message that the nation’s existence is at stake, he will try to mobilize more voters to participate. His subordinates in the state apparatus, from governors on down, know what they have to do. Ensure that everyone does their civic duty. With or without government “aid”. No one has any doubts about who will win, neither here nor abroad. And there is nothing to suggest that Putin is relying on electoral fraud to become Russia’s president for the fifth time.
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There is no indication that Putin is addicted to electoral fraud – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
