Putin’s re-election campaign is already underway, although he has not formalized his candidacy

Russia It will be held in March 2024 they Presidential election Inspite of that Russian President Vladimir Putin He has not yet officially announced his candidacy, but the Kremlin leader is already campaigning.

The presidential race officially opened on Wednesday, when Putin met with representatives of electoral commissions whose role will be key next year, as they will be responsible for ensuring his indisputable victory.

On its 30th anniversary, the president asked Central Election Commission (Central Election Commission) to ensure the legitimacy of the elections and that transparency in this process is “clear,” despite the difficulty of overcoming this problem. scam Since 2011 he has held elections in the country.

Putin then honored the officials — perhaps in advance, for the tasks they would perform on March 17 — and even praised their work during elections held in September in the four Ukrainian regions it annexed, Donetsk, Lugansk, Kherson and Zaporizhia: “I just want Thank you very much On behalf of me and the country for their courage and loyalty to Russia.”

True to his style, the Kremlin leader has already opened the umbrella to foreign suspicions and warned the West against alleged attempts to interfere in the process. “Regarding the state’s actions, from now on, we will continue to do everything in our power to achieve this Avoid any illegal intervention, pressure attempt, or external or internal interference He added during the electoral process.

He believes that this will be one of the pillars of his campaign because the lack of victories on the front in Ukraine forces him to change the focus of his speech and point to the opposition. NATO and allied actors.

Putin, who has made efforts to eliminate potential candidates to succeed him, has shown great interest in the March elections although he has not yet announced his bid for re-election. Sources close to the Russian executive authority confirm that this news will be announced December -Shortly after the election date was set- We will support its launch in controversy Constitutional reform It was approved in 2020 which allows him to remain in office until 2036Although he took office in 2000.

Of course, in any case, changing the rules will not be enough for the president to retain his position; It will be necessary for it to have the support of a majority of the people… or at least for it to appear that way.

Although he focused on Wednesday on ensuring “clean” elections, which constitutes a “crucial factor from the point of view of maintaining internal political stability,” the truth is that the Kremlin has momentum. Widespread scam machines Which, with a little effort, gets started. It is a system Electronic voting Which has been identified by the opposition as the main tool of official fraud.

In this sense, the head of the Central Election Commission, Ella Pamfilova, stated that tens of millions of Russians will be able to Voting online Thanks to this, confidence can be significantly increased. However, independent observers denied this story and confirmed that this was the case It is impossible to control.

“She was right, It is one of the best electoral systems in the world“, Putin supported it and also stressed its existence Video cameras “in the vast majority of electoral colleges”, which constitute “an effective form of civil and social control”. “Nowhere in the world is it used to the same extent as in our country,” the president continued, praising it.

On the other hand, there is another major factor in building Putin’s new state. about him No candidates He can compete with him, whether in the opposition or within his bloc.

Although outside the Kremlin expressed its rejection of the proposal of Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, who suggested that the Russian would be the only candidate, inside All parties with parliamentary representation know that they will compete without capabilities. Even the strongest opponent Alexei Navalny He expressed his willingness to coordinate the defection, despite the difficulty of carrying out this task behind bars.

The scenario of systematic fraud that has been going on for decades, and the absence of options that guarantee a way out, has led people not to believe in the elections. In recent years, the level of participation has continued to decline, with a particular focus on large cities.

(With information from EFE)