Vladimir Putin formally registered as presidential candidate

MOSCOW: Russia on Monday officially registered incumbent Vladimir Putin as a candidate for the presidential election in March, a vote that he is all but certain to win.The 71-year-old has led Russia since the turn of the century, clinching four presidential ballots and briefly serving as prime minister in a system where opposition has become virtually non-existent.The Central Election Commission said it had registered Putin, who nominated himself, as well as right-wing firebrand and Putin-loyalist Leonid Slutsky as candidates for the vote.The election will be held over a three-day period from March 15 to 17, a move that Kremlin critics have argued makes guaranteeing transparency more difficult.Putin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, told Russian media on Monday the longtime leader would not take part in pre-election debates.



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