In the next presidential election in Russia, Vladimir Putin’s reign will very certainly be extended through the remainder of the twenty-first century and into the 2030s.
Even while early and postal voting has already started, especially in occupied areas of Ukraine where Russian forces are seeking to assert authority, the great majority of ballots will be cast over the course of three days starting on March 15.
However, this is not your typical election—instead, it’s nothing more than an electoral box-ticking exercise with no chance of unseating Putin.
As the election draws near, the president’s control over the Russian electoral process has already been strengthened. The single opposition candidate in the nation who opposed the war has been disqualified from running, and last month saw the poisoning and imprisonment of Alexey Navalny, the most well-known opponent of Putin in Russia.
What time and location is the election being held?
The first-ever three-day Russian presidential election is scheduled to take place on Friday, March 15, and Sunday, March 17. Early voting has already begun, including among Russia’s expatriate community worldwide.
Russia has organised voting in four Ukrainian regions it plans to annex in September 2022, violating international law. The Kremlin sees these regional votes and referenda as a sham effort, promoting its Russification campaign.
Russians are electing president alone, with the next legislative elections scheduled for 2026. A second round of voting could occur three weeks after this weekend, if no candidate wins more than half the vote.
What is the duration of Putin’s reign?
Putin signed a law in 2021 allowing him to run for two more presidential terms, potentially extending his rule until 2036. This election marks the start of the first of these extra terms. Putin has been the head of state for the entirety of the 21st century, rewriting Russia’s political system to extend and expand his powers.
He has already ruled Russia for the longest period of time since Soviet tyrant Joseph Stalin.
Prior to his quick return to the presidency in 2012, Putin made two attempts to maintain power in the past: he amended the constitution in 2008 to increase the length of presidential mandates from four to six years, and he temporarily switched positions with then-prime minister Dmitry Medvedev in the same year.
Who else is participating in the race?
The Central Election Commission (CEC) has strict supervision over candidates in Russian elections, which helps Putin run against a strong field and lessens the chance that an opposition candidate would gain ground.
Callum Fraser of the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) think tank explains that each candidate’s opposing ideologies and domestic policies contribute to Putin’s goal of strengthening his grip on Russia during his next presidential term.
will represent the Communist Party, which has not gained a fifth of the vote share since Putin’s first presidential election, despite being allowed to run a candidate in each election this century.
Leonid Slutsky and Vladislav Davankov, both former Duma politicians, are running for the presidency. Davankov, the deputy chair of the Duma, and Slutsky, representing the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia, are all considered pro-Kremlin.
Boris Nadezhdin, the only anti-war candidate, was barred from standing by the CEC in February due to insufficient legitimate signatures. Yekaterina Duntsova, another independent candidate who spoke out against the war in Ukraine, was rejected in December due to alleged errors in her campaign group’s registration documents. Duntsova later called for Nadezhdin’s candidacy.
In February, opposition activist Leonid Volkov criticised the March elections as a “circus” aimed at signalling Putin’s overwhelming support, stating they were a propaganda effort to spread hopelessness among the electorate, highlighting the potential for a resurgence of Putin’s popularity.
Former Navalny aide Leonid Volkov was attacked outside his Vilnius home, according to Lithuania’s intelligence agency, which believes the attack was likely “Russian organised.”
The Kremlin has resisted any comment on the incident involving Volkov.
Are elections being conducted fairly?
Russia’s elections are deemed unfree and unfair, according to independent observers and bodies. They argue that Putin’s successful campaigns are largely due to media bias, abuses of power, and procedural irregularities during the vote count, according to Freedom House.
The Kremlin’s propaganda machine targets voters with pro-Putin content, with many news websites blocked after Ukraine’s invasion. Younger tech-savvy voters use VPNs to access these websites outside election cycles.
Protests are restricted, making public opposition expression rare. Genuine opposition candidates often face removal or obstruction from seeking office, as Nadezhdin and Duntsova discovered during this cycle.
Freedom House’s latest global report highlights that opposition politicians and activists are frequently targeted with fabricated criminal cases and administrative harassment to hinder their political participation.
