Russian President Vladimir Putin will run for office again in 2024, according to state media reports.
Mr Putin – whose power has been questioned like never before over the costly war in Ukraine – will be widely expected to win and secure another six years in the Kremlin, taking him to 2030.
Recent constitutional changes have paved the way for the 71-year-old to potentially run again in 2030, opening up the possibility of staying in power up until 2036.
Mr Putin is already the country’s longest-serving leader since Josef Stalin, beating even Leonid Brezhnev’s 18-year tenure.
He first became president in 1999.
Mr Putin did not run in 2008 because of term limits but was appointed prime minister, a role in which he was still widely seen as effectively Russia’s leader. In 2012, he returned to the Kremlin.
He is expected to face only token opposition in the next election, scheduled to be held on 17 March.
Many of his political rivals have either left Russia or been jailed, including high-profile figures such as Alexei Navalny, who recently lost an appeal against an additional 19-year prison sentence.
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