Russian politics heats up with presidential campaign

The presidential campaign in Russia is heating up, as candidates begin to introduce campaign slogans for the vote on March 18.

According to pre-election polls, incumbent Russian President Vladimir Putin has always had a high and stable approval rating of around 70%.

There are eight candidates running in the race for the Kremlin, including incumbent President Putin. Campaigning began on February 17.

The candidate of the All-Russian People’s Union party, Sergey Baburin, emphasized ethnic Russians and prioritized family values. Baburin’s campaign slogan, “The choice of Russians for Russia,” was an attempt to appeal to nationally conscious voters.

Presidential candidate and Liberal Democratic Party leader Vladimir Zhirinovsky pledged to guarantee consumer prices for “essential goods” and completely eliminate poverty and unemployment. Meanwhile, presidential candidate Ksenia Sobchak announced on February 21 that she had collected 150,000 signatures in support of her new key political activities. Although she did not have high expectations for the upcoming presidential election, Ms. Sobchak pledged to ensure the early realization of her political goals.

“I am running for president with the full understanding that my chances of winning on March 18 are slim. However, we have a bigger goal: to increase our voice and prepare for the 2024 elections,” Ms. Sobchak emphasized.

Russian President Putin is running as an independent candidate and has the advantage of high support from the Russian people even though he is in the final months of his term. "Strong President - Strong Russia" is Mr. Putin's campaign slogan.

On February 26, four Russian presidential candidates will take part in a live debate on Russian Radio. The first televised debate will be held on February 27. All candidates will participate, except for incumbent President Putin.

Chairwoman of the Central Election Commission Ella Pamfilova called on candidates to conduct transparent and fair election campaigns: “I wish all candidates success and that the election campaign will be effective with mutual respect, respect for voters and for the most transparency and fairness possible.”

Observers say that there is no factor preventing incumbent President Putin from being re-elected for another term and the race will only involve the second and third positions. According to polling agencies, President Putin always has the highest approval rating and maintains a large gap compared to the candidates behind him.

As of January 1, 2018, there were more than 108.9 million registered voters in Russia and 1.87 million voters abroad. The Central Election Commission of Russia is working with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to eliminate “dual” voters, those who live abroad but are registered in the country. Russia will open 95,000 polling stations across the country. Meanwhile, voters abroad can vote at 380 polling stations located in 145 countries around the world.

Russian Minister of Communications and Mass Media Nikolai Nikiforov said that Russia is paying special attention to ensuring that there are no security threats to the presidential election. The Russian government may consider control measures by prohibiting governing bodies from freely hiring external cybersecurity units, as well as requiring strict compliance with regulations on connecting information sources and important infrastructure to public computer networks, primarily the Internet./.