Russia will hold its first presidential elections in 2024 since the onset of the war in Ukraine; however, Vladimir Putin has not yet announced whether he will run for the post of head of state again.
What Happened: Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov in an interview with Izvestia, said it is still premature to talk about the possibility of Putin's bid for the top post in the country.
"So far, there are no pre-election or electoral moods — Putin has a lot to do. He is definitely not up to it now. We have not yet heard from him any statements where he would speak about running or not running his candidacy. That is, it is still a little bit premature. You just need to be patient,” Peskov said while replying to a question if the Russian had already made a decision on his participation in the elections.
Peskov said under the conditions of a special military operation, “the prospects for holding elections – both in September and the presidential one —”were called into question, and “there is a decision that there will be elections.”
Putin has been Russia's most powerful politician since he assumed the top office in 2000. In 2021, Putin also signed a law that would allow him to run for the presidency twice more in his lifetime, potentially keeping him in office until 2036.
If the Russian leader manages to stay in power until 2036, his tenure will surpass even that of Joseph Stalin, the Soviet-era leader who ruled for 29 years, making Putin the longest-serving Moscow leader since the Russian empire.
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