But while the election appears to be a formality, it will be held in an increasingly conservative country that has been fundamentally changed by war, where all dissent has been criminalised and with prominent opposition politicians, such as Alexei Navalny and Ilya Yashin, behind bars.
The elections will be different in terms of the ground they cover, with voting taking place in what Russia calls its new territories: parts of Ukraine occupied by Russian forces. "These elections are a means for Putin to legitimise his decision to go to war in Ukraine," said Andrei Kolesnikov, senior fellow at the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, based in Moscow.
Authoritarian leaders like Putin relied on elite support to govern, Kolesnikov said, and the elections and campaigning were also aimed at showing the political establishment he still enjoyed public backing despite Yevgeny Prigozhin's failed insurrection.
Unsurprisingly, therefore, Putin announced his candidacy at an event in the Kremlin honouring Russian soldiers who had fought in Ukraine, one of whom asked if he would run again. In a reply that can only be described as political theatre, Putin said he was not sure whether he would run, claiming he "had different thoughts at different times", but that he realised now was the time to make a decision.
"I will run for the post of president," Putin said, flanked by army personnel and their relatives.
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة January 03, 2024 من The Guardian.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
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هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة January 03, 2024 من The Guardian.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
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