Elections in Russia: Four candidates aspire to the position of president, all of whom are supporters of Moscow's war in Ukraine
The Central Election Commission (CEC) of the Russian Federation has completed its registration of candidates for the upcoming presidential election, eventually clearing four people for the upcoming presidential race, TASS agency reports.
For the first time since 2008, there will only be four options in the ballot - Leonid Slutsky of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR), Vladislav Davankov of New People, Nikolay Kharitonov of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation (KPRF) and incumbent Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is running for a fifth term as an independent.
The nomination period for party candidates was between December 8 and January 1, while for self-designated candidates it ended on December 27. On December 28, Russian Central Election Commission Chair Ella Pamfilova said a total of 33 people, including nine contenders from parties and 24 independent contenders, planned to run for Russian presidency next year. Only 15 of them eventually submitted the documents required to be registered as candidates.
Before the January 31 deadline expired, three candidates - Baburin, Sviridova and Bogdanov - withdrew from the race.
