Share this @internewscast.com

Russian lawmakers on Thursday set the date of the 2024 presidential election for March 17, moving Vladimir Putin closer to a fifth term in office.

Members of the Federation Council, Russia’s upper house of parliament, voted unanimously to approve a decree setting the date.

“In essence, this decision marks the start of the election campaign,” said Valentina Matviyenko, speaker of the Federation Council. Russia’s central election commission is to hold a meeting on the presidential campaign on Friday.

Putin, 71, hasn’t yet announced his intention to run again, but he is widely expected to do so in the coming days now that the date has been set.

Under constitutional reforms he orchestrated, he is eligible to seek two more six-year terms after his current one expires next year, potentially allowing him to remain in power until 2036.

Having established tight control over Russia’s political system, Putin’s victory is all but assured. Prominent critics who could challenge him on the ballot are either in jail or living abroad, and most independent media have been banned.

Neither the costly, drawn-out military campaign in Ukraine, nor a failed rebellion last summer by mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin appear to have affected his high approval ratings reported by independent pollsters.

Who would challenge him on the ballot remains unclear. Two people have announced plans to run: former lawmaker Boris Nadezhdin, who holds a seat on a municipal council in the Moscow region, and Yekaterina Duntsova, a journalist and lawyer from the Tver region north of Moscow, who once was a member of a local legislature.

For both, getting on the ballot could be an uphill battle. Unless one of five political parties that have seats in the State Duma, Russia’s lower house, nominates them as their candidate, they would have to gather tens of thousands of signatures across multiple regions.

According to Russian election laws, candidates put forward by a party that is not represented in the State Duma or in at least a third of regional legislatures have to submit at least 100,000 signatures from 40 or more regions. Those running independently of any party would need a minimum of 300,000 signatures from 40 regions or more.

Those requirements apply to Putin as well, who has used different tactics over the years. He ran as an independent in 2018 and his campaign gathered signatures. In 2012, the Kremlin’s United Russia party nominated him, so he didn’t need them.

The central election commission plans online voting in addition to traditional paper ballots in about 30 Russian regions and is considering stretching the voting across three days -– a practice that was adopted during the pandemic and widely criticized by independent election monitors.

Those measures on top of restrictions on monitoring adopted in recent years will severely limit the possibility of independent observers, according to Stanislav Adnreychuk, co-chair of Golos, a prominent independent election monitoring group.

Andreychuk told The Associated Press that only registered candidates or state-backed advisory bodies, the Civic Chambers, can assign observers to polling stations, decreasing the likelihood of truly independent watchdogs. There is very little transparency with online voting, and if the balloting lasts for three days, it will be incredibly hard to cover nearly 100,000 polling stations in the country -– not to mention ensuring that ballots aren’t tampered with at night, he said.

“Regular monitoring (at the polls) poses the biggest problem at this point,” Andreychuk said.

“But we will be working in any case” he said of Golos’ plans, adding that they will conduct monitoring throughout the campaign and support activists who get to polling stations on election day.

Share this @internewscast.com
You May Also Like
Dashcam video shows deadly freeway crash involving suspected illegal immigrant trucker

Shocking Dashcam Footage Reveals Fatal Freeway Collision Involving Alleged Undocumented Trucker

A shocking dashcam video has emerged capturing a fatal incident on a…
Rosa Parks and Helen Keller statues will be unveiled at the Alabama Capitol

Statues of Rosa Parks and Helen Keller Set for Unveiling at Alabama Capitol

Rep. Laura Hall, who played a crucial role in the legislation permitting…
Sonya Massey death: Jury shown autopsy photos as testimony continues in murder trial of former Illinois deputy Sean Grayson

Shocking Courtroom Revelations: Autopsy Photos Unveiled in Gruesome Murder Trial of Ex-Illinois Deputy

PEORIA, Ill. — On Thursday, the murder trial of former Sangamon County…
US says it now plans to deport Abrego Garcia to Liberia as soon as Oct. 31

U.S. Set to Deport Abrego Garcia to Liberia by October 31: Immigration Update

In the latest chapter of a contentious legal saga, the U.S. government…
CPS news: Some Chicago Board of Education members call for Chicago Public Sshools remote learning amid immigration operations

Chicago Board Members Urge CPS to Consider Remote Learning in Response to Immigration Actions

CHICAGO — A renewed push for remote learning in Chicago Public Schools…
United States Department of Justice appealing dismissal of sanctuary city policy lawsuit against Illinois, Cook County, Chicago

U.S. Department of Justice to Challenge Dismissal of Sanctuary City Policy Lawsuit Against Illinois, Cook County, and Chicago

The U.S. Department of Justice is challenging a court decision concerning a…
Colts cheerleader uses sign language to converse with deaf fan at his first game

Heartwarming Moment: Colts Cheerleader Bridges the Gap with Sign Language at Deaf Fan’s First Game

Colts cheerleader Morgan McLain, who studied American Sign Language (ASL) as a…
DOJ prepares to send election monitors to California following requests from state GOPs

DOJ to Deploy Election Monitors in California at GOP’s Request

The Department of Justice is set to deploy federal election observers in…
Army Officer Court-Martialed Over COVID Rules by Vindman Brother Finally Reinstated on Active Duty

Army Officer Rejoins Active Duty After Vindman Brother’s Court-Martial Overturns COVID Rules Case

Mark Bashaw, previously the only member of the Armed Forces to face…
Fox News True Crime Newsletter: Alex Murdaugh's empire, BTK's family fallout, Bryan Kohberger's money woes

Unraveling Secrets: Alex Murdaugh’s Empire Crumbles, BTK Family Faces Fallout, and Bryan Kohberger’s Financial Struggles

‘HE KNEW HOW TO SWIM:’ The mystery surrounding a tragic death in…
Security video captures moment former mayor stabbed multiple times outside his blue state business

Security Footage Reveals Former Mayor Stabbed Repeatedly Outside Business in Blue State

A dramatic incident unfolded outside a Massachusetts cannabis dispensary on Monday afternoon,…
Man shot 10 times protecting high school cheerleader who died after shooting at bonfire: report

Heroic Act: Man Fatally Shot Defending Cheerleader at Tragic Bonfire Incident

An Alabama resident claims he endured ten gunshot wounds while attempting to…