Vladimir Putin submits documents to register as a candidate for the Russian presidential election

MOSCOW (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday presented documents to Russia’s Central Election Commission to register as a candidate in the 2024 presidential election.

“He submitted them,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russian state media.

Supporters of Putin on Saturday formally nominated him to run in the 2024 presidential election as an independent candidate.

The nomination by a group of at least 500 supporters, under Russian election law, is mandatory for those running not on a party ticket. Independent candidates also need to gather at least 300,000 signatures of support from 40 regions or more.

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The group that nominated Putin included top officials from the ruling United Russia party, prominent Russian actors and singers, athletes and other public figures.

Putin has used different tactics over the years. He ran as an independent in 2018 and his campaign gathered signatures. In 2012, he ran as a nominee of the Kremlin’s United Russia party, so there was no need for signatures.

Earlier this month, lawmakers in Russia set the country’s 2024 presidential election for March 17, moving Putin a step closer to a fifth term in office.

Under constitutional reforms that he orchestrated, Putin is eligible to seek two more six-year terms after his current term expires next year, potentially allowing him to remain in power until 2036.

The tight control over Russia’s political system that he has established during 24 years in power makes his reelection in March all but assured. Prominent critics who could challenge him on the ballot are either in jail or living abroad, and most independent media have been banned.