Russia’s Putin registered as presidential candidate – Ifax

MOSCOW, Jan 29 (Reuters) – Russian President Vladimir Putin has been registered as a candidate for the March 15-17 presidential election, the Interfax news agency cited the Central Election Commission as saying on Monday.

Supporters and opponents alike expect Putin to stroll to a new six-year term which, if he completes it, would make him Russia’s longest-serving ruler since the 18th century.

Putin has intensified a crackdown on opposition since the start of the war in Ukraine and his most prominent critics have either fled abroad or been jailed.

Those standing against him, including anti-war candidate Boris Nadezhdin, have until Wednesday to gather the required number of supporters’ signatures to back their campaigns.