The Kremlin has refused to cancel the upcoming “presidential election” at the suggestion of Chechen head Ramzan Kadyrov, Interfax reports, citing Dmitrii Peskov’s words.
“We proceed from President Putin’s statement, which he made during his last address to the Federal Assembly, <…> the president emphasized the need to comply with all the requirements of democracy, the constitution and, accordingly, to hold these elections”, Peskov said.
According to the Kremlin speaker, it is unlikely that anyone “even theoretically” will be able to compete with Vladimir Putin in the election because of the “unprecedented consolidation of the entire society around the president and his ideas”. “This is probably a truth that hardly anyone can dispute”, Peskov said.
On Oct. 7, Kadyrov suggested canceling the upcoming “presidential election” in Russia amid the ongoing war in Ukraine. As an alternative, Kadyrov suggested holding the election with only one candidate, Vladimir Putin.
“I propose now, when the SMO is underway, to unanimously decide that we will have one candidate in the elections – Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin. Or temporarily cancel the elections, because we have no other person who could protect our country today”, Kadyrov said.
The presidential election will be held on March 24, 2024. At the moment, Vladimir Putin has not officially announced his participation in the “elections” of 2024. However, Meduza’s sources report that the Kremlin is considering his re-election. According to Kommersant, Putin may announce his candidacy for a new term at the opening of the country’s first exhibition of achievements since the collapse of the Soviet Union, in early November.
According to information from the Kremlin, Putin’s rivals in the “election” may be representatives of the CPRF, LDPR and New People, with the main selection criterion being age – no younger than 70. According to Vedomosti, the Kremlin is also considering nominating former Ekho Moskvy editor-in-chief Alexei Venediktov as a liberal candidate.
