Why Putin’s fifth term as Russian leader was never in doubt

Kremlin ensured Putin had no credible opponent so it was always certain he would secure a fifth term by a landslide. It was at a grand military awards ceremony last December that Vladimir Putin, 71, told the Russian public he would stand for the presidency again. He said: “Now is the time for making decisions. I will be running for the post of president of the Russian Federation” Kremlin rarely leaves its choreography to chance.

Instead, straight away its well-oiled media machine swung into action. On all state channels, President Putin was promoted as a national leader. He has been president since 2000, apart from four years as prime minister. Vladimir Putin could run for another six-year term in 2030, when he will turn 78.

Putin has methodically tightened his grip on power so no real threat to his rule exists any longer. Watch the full interview on BBC Sounds at 9pm on Sunday. Voters were given a choice of candidate - or rather a semblance of one. The Communist Party remains Russia#39;s second most popular party, more than 30 years since the fall of the Soviet Union.

The last election in 2018 was officially 68%, but international observers reported several cases of ballot-stuffing. Nadezhdin was one of three candidates in the Russian presidential election. The other two were members of the liberal, pro-Russian New People’s Party. Nadezdin was a frequent guest on state TV, but did not make the ballot.

He was not allowed to stand as he had not collected enough signatures. Vladimir Putin proposed a raft of social measures, including a modernised tax system. Many of his measures require considerable cash injections or investment. Russia has a serious corruption problem that means funds often do not reach their intended destinations.

But that hardly mattered in an election that most observers believe was neither free nor fair. In another video, nationalist LDPR leader Leonid Slutsky was shown trying out the office of his late predecessor Vladimir Zhirinovsky. We’ve toyed with capitalism and that’s enough! he declares, marching across Red Square to take up residence in the Kremlin.

There have been protests against the election of Vladimir Putin as Russian president. The protests have been in support of Putin, who is expected to win re-election on March 18. Putin has been accused of using the election as an opportunity to boost his popularity with the Russian public.