Moscow

Russian President Vladimir Putin will seek re-election as an independent candidate in 2024, Russian news agencies reported on Saturday (Dec 16).

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On Saturday, a group of over 700 politicians and figures from the sporting and cultural worlds met in Moscow and gave unanimous endorsement to Vladimir Putin as an independent candidate. 

Putin announced earlier this month that he will seek another six-year term in March next year in Russian presidential election. 

Andrei Turchak, senior United Russia party official, told RIA news agency that Putin has complete support of the party despite the serving president's status as an independent candidate.

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As the largest party in Russia, it holds 325 of the 450 seats in the State Duma as of 2022, having constituted the majority in the chamber since 2007.

Putin has led Russia as either president or prime minister since 1999. The 71-year-old swapped presidential job with Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev in 2008, following which he changed the rules that limited consecutive presidential mandates. He has been president since 2012 and can potentially remain so until 2036. 

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As prime minister, Putin in 2011 forged a political coalition called All-Russia People's Front (in Russian: ONF) to provide the United Russia political party with "new ideas, new suggestions and new faces". 

The ONF aims to forge formal alliances between United Russia (the ruling party from 2001 onwards) and numerous Russian non-governmental organisations.

Putin's next presidential run: Aren't there any other candidates?

Several other candidates, including representatives of the Communist and Liberal Democratic parties that have given the semblance of opposition to Putin during his previous campaigns.

The Liberal-leaning Boris Nadezhdin is also one of the few Russian politicians who have announced their intention to run. Nadezhdin has called the war in Ukraine Putin's "fatal mistake".

Also read | Explained | Putin, presidency and elections — a race of convenience for indisputable rule

On the federal level, Russia elects a president as head of state and a parliament, one of the two chambers of the Federal Assembly. Since 2008, the president can hold four consecutive six-year terms.

(With inputs from agencies)