Vladimir Putin’s Candicacy endorsed for March 2012 Presidential Polls

The United Russia party convention on 27 November voted unanimously to nominate its leader, Vladimir Putin, as the presidential candidate for the elections scheduled for 4 March 20112. The decision to nominate Putin, who is Russia’s current prime minister, was also supported by delegates of the Popular Front – a new organization bringing together supporters of Putin and United Russia.

All 614 delegates from United Russia and Putin’s All-Russia People’s Front movement who took part in the vote during a party congress at Luzhniki unanimously backed Putin’s candidacy. Candidates to challenge Putin in the March 2012 elections are Communist leader Gennady Zyuganov and Vladimir Zhirinovsky, the leader of the right-wing LDPR party.

United Russia party convention held pre-election congress after the upper house of the Russian Parliament officially approved 4 March as the date for presidential elections thereby triggering the presidential race. Incumbent President Dmitry Medvedev endorsed Putin as United Russia’s candidate back in September 2011.

Putin has already been elected president twice, in 2000 and 2004. As Russia has recently lengthened the presidential term, the winner of the 2012 election will take up the post for six years, with the right to stand for a second six-year term.