Support The Moscow Times!

Russia's Parliament to Announce Presidential Race on Dec. 13 – Communist Leader

Communist Party leader Gennady Zyuganov. Sergei Kiselev / Moskva News Agency

Russia’s parliament will officially announce the start of the 2024 presidential race on Dec. 13, the head of Russia’s Communist Party  Gennady Zyuganov told reporters during a press briefing on Tuesday.

Next year’s presidential election is scheduled to take place in March, with President Vladimir Putin widely expected to run for a fifth term in office.

“According to the information I have, the [upper-house] Federation Council will officially announce the start of the presidential election campaign on Dec. 13.,” Zuganov told reporters.

The ruling United Russia party will announce its presidential nominee four days later, according to Zuganov. 

Putin has yet to officially announce whether he intends to run in the 2024 presidential election, but Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has previously said that it is “already obvious” the Russian leader will be re-elected next year and that he would win “with more than 90% of the vote.”

While Putin does not have a formal party affiliation and is expected to run as an independent, United Russia will likely back his candidacy as it did in the last presidential election held in 2018.

Zuganov said his own party will hold its congress on Dec. 23 and will announce “an entire team” of presidential nominees at the event. 

The 79-year-old Community Party leader did not say whether he plans to run in the 2024 presidential election, which would mark his fifth time running for the country’s highest office since 1996 were he to throw his hat in the ring.

Sign up for our free weekly newsletter

Our weekly newsletter contains a hand-picked selection of news, features, analysis and more from The Moscow Times. You will receive it in your mailbox every Friday. Never miss the latest news from Russia. Preview
Subscribers agree to the Privacy Policy

A Message from The Moscow Times:

Dear readers,

We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."

These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.

By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.

Once
Monthly
Annual
Continue
paiment methods
Not ready to support today?
Remind me later.

Read more