Loyalists say they will collect signatures to ‘nominate’ Putin for president
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
A so-called initiative group of voters says it will collect signatures supporting the nomination of Russian President Vladimir Putin as a self-nominated candidate in the upcoming Russian presidential election in March 2024, news agency Interfax reports.
The decision was made "unanimously," at a meeting of the group on Dec. 16, said Mikhail Kuznetsov, chairman of the executive committee of Putin's People's Front movement.
The members of the initiative group include singer-propagandist Shaman (Yaroslav Dronov), film director Nikita Mikhalkov, representative of the occupation "authorities" in Donetsk Artem Zhoga, head of A Fair Russia — For Truth party Sergei Mironov, singers Polina Gagarina, Nadezhda Babkina and Larisa Dolina, wife of Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, figure skater Tatyana Navka, actor Vladimir Mashkov, boxer Jeff Monson, a former U.S. citizen who took Russian citizenship, and others.
Read also:
Russian media said the minutes of the meeting will be sent to the CEC to "make a decision on the registration" of the initiative group, which will allow them to start collecting signatures in support of the candidate's nomination.
Putin will run as a self-nominated candidate, not from his United Russia party. To register, he needs to collect 300,000 voter signatures.
Read also: Ukraine's Foreign Ministry says Moscow’s vote in occupied territories ‘illegal’
At the same time, Secretary of the United Russia General Council Andrei Turchak said at a meeting of the "initiative group" that all regional branches of the party would take an active part in Putin's election campaign, news agency TASS reports.
"United Russia is the president's party, he created it, he is our leader, and, of course, our entire party machine, all our regional and local branches, more than 3.5 million party members, will take an active part in the election campaign," Turchak stated.
Putin announced on Dec. 8 that he would run for a new presidential term in 2024.
The presidential election in Russia will be held on March 17, 2024. The relevant resolution was adopted by the Federation Council on Dec. 7.
Russia's CEC intends to hold presidential elections in the occupied territories of Ukraine as well.
Russian elections are not free and fair, and it is all but certain Putin will win with a large share of the vote. There is ample evidence that such votes are rigged, and no serious opposition candidates will be allowed to run.
We’re bringing the voice of Ukraine to the world. Support us with a one-time donation, or become a Patron!
Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
