It’s Official: Putin Says He’ll Run for Re-Election
- After 18 years in power, Putin runs for term likely to be last
- Victory all but certain, polls show, but infighting may loom
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President Vladimir Putin, who’s ruled Russia for 18 years, announced he will seek a new six-year term in March. Constitutional limits mean it’s likely to be his last.
“I can’t think of a better time or place to announce it -- thank you for your support -- I will run for the post of president of the Russian Federation,’’ Putin told an event at the GAZ auto factory in Nizhny Novgorod on Wednesday. In comments carried live on national television, he was responding to a worker who asked him to “do us a favor” and confirm his intentions, triggering chants of “GAZ is behind you!”