Russian Lawmakers Set March 17 as Election Date for 2024 Presidential Election, Increasing Putin’s Chance at Fifth Term
Lawmakers in Russia have unanimously approved a decree setting the country’s 2024 presidential election date for March 17, moving President Vladimir Putin closer to a potential fifth term in office. The decision by the Federation Council, Russia’s upper house of parliament, marks the official start of the election campaign, said Valentina Matviyenko, the chamber’s speaker.
While Putin, 71, has yet to announce his intention to run, it is widely expected that he will do so now that the election date has been scheduled. Under constitutional reforms orchestrated by Putin, he is eligible to seek two more six-year terms after his current term expires in 2024, potentially allowing him to stay in power until 2036.
Putin’s firm control over Russia’s political system, established over his 24 years in power, makes his reelection in March highly likely. Many prominent critics who could challenge him on the ballot are either imprisoned or living abroad, and independent media outlets have been largely banned.
The potential absence of strong opposition candidates has led imprisoned opposition leader Alexei Navalny to urge his supporters to vote for anyone but Putin in an online statement. Navalny views the upcoming election as a referendum on Putin’s actions and stressed the importance of disrupting Putin’s plans.
However, the road to the ballot for potential challengers may prove difficult. Former lawmaker Boris Nadezhdin and journalist-lawyer Yekaterina Duntsova have announced their plans to run, but they would need either nomination from one of the five political parties with seats in the State Duma or gather tens of thousands of signatures across multiple regions. Igor Strelkov, a jailed hard-line nationalist who has expressed ambitions to run, faces extremism charges that make his candidacy unlikely.
The Central Election Commission is considering implementing online voting in about 30 Russian regions and potentially stretching the voting period across three days. These measures, combined with restrictions on monitoring, are likely to limit the presence of independent observers. Stanislav Andreychuk, co-chair of prominent independent election monitoring group Golos, emphasized the lack of transparency with online voting and the challenges of monitoring nearly 100,000 polling stations in the country.
Political analyst Dmitry Oreshkin anticipates that the upcoming election will be more of a ritual than a competitive process. He expects Putin, along with several less popular candidates, to be on the ballot. Oreshkin also speculates that Putin may choose to run as an independent candidate, collecting signatures to promote his campaign in the regions.
As the Russian presidential election approaches, it remains to be seen who will ultimately challenge Putin and what impact the election will have on the country’s political landscape. Regardless, Putin’s grip on power and the lack of significant opposition candidates make his reelection appear increasingly likely.
