So far, Vladimir Putin has served four terms as Russian President. He was elected Russian President in 2000 and re-elected in 2004, 2012, and 2018. If he wins, Putin will serve another six years, due to constitutional amendments that have expanded the term. This would mark his fifth term.
The vast majority of votes will be cast over three days from March 15, though early and postal voting has already begun, including in occupied parts of Ukraine where Russian forces are attempting to exert authority. Voting for presidential elections will take place in Russia from March 15-17, 2024.
This year, at the very start of the presidential race, a total of 33 people were expected to contest, but as the deadline for filing documents expired on January 1, only 11 candidates remained eligible to contest. Out of these, only four were eventually registered.
The candidates who are contesting for top state post in the 2024 election are Vladislav Davankov, Russia’s incumbent President Vladimir Putin, Leonid Slutsky and Nikolay Kharitonov.
Since dictator Joseph Stalin, President Putin has been the country’s longest-running leader. Either being the prime minister or the president, Putin has been in the Kremlin since the beginning of the 21st century.
Why this election is one of a kind?
This is not a normal election; the poll is essentially a constitutional box-ticking exercise that carries no prospect of removing Putin from power.
Putin’s dominance over the Russian electoral system has already been reinforced as the election looms. The country’s only anti-war candidate has been barred from standing, and Alexey Navalny, the poisoned and jailed former opposition leader who was the most prominent anti-Putin voice in Russia, died last month.
In a first, Russia’s ’new regions’ will cast votes. Amid Russia’s ongoing war with Ukraine, the country has occupied a chunk of territories of the neighbouring country, which it now calls “new regions”. For the first time Donbass and Novorossia territories will be voting in Russia elections. Polling in these places began 10 days before the elections started in the rest of Russia.
Polling stations have already opened in Russia’s Far Eastern regions, particularly the easternmost Kamchatka and Chukotka, TASS reported. As the two regions are voting for the first time, social media has been flooded with advertisements urging people to cast votes.
Also, all state-controlled TV channels in Russia have been asking people to vote for Putin, promoting him as a national leader who stood head and shoulders above any potential adversaries and is presented as a “people’s leader”.
In a maiden move, the presidential election in Russia will continue for three days. Russians say they liked the new electoral format which gives them more opportunity to cast votes, Russian Central Election Commission Chair Ella Pamfilova said.
Overall, more than 94,000 polling stations will be open in Russia from 8:00 am to 8:00 pm (local time). With the exception of several locations abroad, the vote will be formally over at 9:00 pm on March 17 (Sunday).
The presidential election is also the first time that voters have the choice of casting their votes electronically, with electronic voting ballots available in 29 regions, including Moscow, more than 4.7 million Russians have submitted applications to vote electronically. Online voting is available in 29 regions, including Moscow. People were asked to submit applications to cast their ballots online from January 29 to March 11, TASS reported. More than 4.7 million people applied to vote online.
Russia has also made arrangements to include its citizens overseas, with a total of 295 polling stations open in 144 foreign countries, including India and 11 time zones.
Special voting booths were arranged in Kerala’s Thiruvananthapuram for Russian citizens to cast their votes. A hub for Russian tourists and residing overseas citizens, the country’s consulate made arrangements to ensure Russian nationals’ participation. The results of the online vote will be known on Sunday between 10:00 pm and 11:00 pm (local time).
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