Putin could win over 80% of vote – poll

Russia’s incumbent president, Vladimir Putin, is expected to win the upcoming presidential election by a wide margin, according to projections from the Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VTSIOM), based on a series of polls.

According to the pollster, Putin, who is running as an independent, is likely to win 82% of the vote. His opponents, Communist Party candidate Nikolay Kharitonov and Vladislav Davankov of the New People party could receive 6% each, with Leonid Slutsky of the Liberal Democrats receiving 5%.

VTSIOM projects turnout to be around 71%.

The survey was conducted from March 4-6 among 1,500 respondents aged 18 and older in 104 settlements across 53 Russian regions. The results were published on Monday on VTSIOM’s official website.

The 2024 presidential election will run from March 15-17, the first time it has been held over multiple days. Putin announced plans to seek another term in office last December.

He was first elected president in 2000, and served two consecutive four-year terms until 2008. He subsequently became prime minister under Dmitry Medvedev, who was Russia’s president from 2008-2012, when Putin became president once again.

During Medvedev’s time in office, the presidential term was extended to six years. Putin is currently serving his second six-year term as president after being reelected in 2018.

During a major constitutional reform in 2020, the Russian authorities set a hard cap of two consecutive six-year terms for one person serving as head of state. However, Putin’s terms before the reform were “nullified,” which enabled him to run for office again this year.