Russia's ruling party backs Putin's presidential bid
(Baonghean.vn)- The congress of the ruling United Russia party has unanimously approved President Vladimir Putin's bid to run for re-election in 2024 as an independent candidate. If the incumbent leader wins, this will be his fifth term.
The motion was put to a vote by former president and United Russia party chairman Dmitry Medvedev at the party congress, held at the All-Russia Exhibition Center in Moscow on Sunday. When asked who supported Putin's candidacy, all delegates raised their hands, with no objections or abstentions.
In his speech, Mr. Medvedev also declared that “there is no longer any doubt about who will take the leadership of the Russian state in these turbulent times,” showing that Mr. Putin enjoys overwhelming public support.
According to Mr. Medvedev, when the election day is approaching, the United Russia party "will try its best to help incumbent President Vladimir Putin win a resounding victory once again."
Attending the congress, Mr. Putin thanked the United Russia party for its steadfast support, while noting that the country still had to solve “historic tasks,” including protecting Russia’s independence and position on the international stage.
President Putin has declared that Russia will either be a self-sufficient sovereign power or will not exist at all, "we must remember this." Mr Putin announced his re-election plans earlier this month at a ceremony to award Hero of Russia medals to servicemen who participated in the military campaign in Ukraine.
During his more than 20-year political career, Mr. Putin has run for president four times, mostly as an independent. The only exception was in 2012, when he was nominated by the United Russia party. The presidential election is scheduled to take place next March, with the winner taking office in May. As for Putin's opponents, several parties in Russia, including the Communist Party, the Liberal Democratic Party (LDPR) and New People's Party, have said they will field candidates./.
