Putin to run as an independent candidate, but his party vows to help

The so-called "initiative group of voters" has supported the candidacy of Russian dictator Vladimir Putin as a self-nominated candidate in the upcoming Russian presidential election in March 2024.

Source: Kremlin-aligned Russian news agencies Interfax and TASS

Details: A gathering of the "initiative group of voters" on Saturday, 16 December, saw Mikhail Kuznetsov, Head of the All-Russia People's Front executive committee, announce that the decision had been made unanimously.

Speakers at the group's meeting included Andrei Turchak, First Deputy Chairman of Russia's Federation Council; Valery Gergiev, Head of the Bolshoi and Mariinsky theatres; Yulia Belekhova, member of the Human Rights Council; Sergei Mironov, leader of the A Just Russia - For Truth party faction, and Elena Shmeleva, member of the All-Russia People's Front central headquarters.

The meeting protocol will be sent to Russia’s Central Election Commission for a decision on the registration of the initiative group so that the collection of signatures supporting Putin's nomination can begin.

Putin is required to collect 300,000 voter signatures to register as an independent candidate.

At the same time, Andrei Turchak, Secretary of the General Council of the United Russia party, told the meeting of the initiative group that all regional branches of United Russia would take an active part in Putin's election campaign.

"United Russia is the president's party; he formed it; he is our leader; and, of course, our entire party machine, all our regional and local branches, and over 3.5 million party members will take an active part in the election campaign," he said.

Background: 

• On 8 December, Putin announced he would run for a new presidential term in 2024.
• The Russian presidential election will be held on 17 March, as decided by Russia's Federation Council on 7 December.
• Despite the ongoing hostilities, the Russian authorities are planning to hold presidential elections in March 2024 in the temporarily occupied territories (TOTs) of Ukraine. Ukraine's National Resistance Center reported that Russia's Central Election Commission allowed TOT residents without passports to vote in the presidential election.

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