MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russian President Vladimir Putin may hint he will take part in the 2024 presidential election next month, Kommersant newspaper reported on Tuesday, paving the way for the Kremlin chief to stay in power until at least 2030.
As part of a conference in November officials are expecting Putin may announce he is due to take part in the March presidential election, Kommersant cited unidentified sources close to the presidential administration.
The newspaper, one of Russia’s most respected, said there were, though, other scenarios for what Putin would do at the conference and that the final decision rested with Putin himself. The Kremlin did not immediately comment.
Putin, who was handed the presidency by Boris Yeltsin on the last day of 1999, has already served as president for longer than any other Russian ruler since Josef Stalin, beating even Leonid Brezhnev’s 18-year tenure.
Putin turns 71 on Oct. 7.
(Reporting by Guy Faulconbridge)
