BEIJING, Dec. 7 (Reuters)-On December 6, local time, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that he would participate in the Russian presidential election in 2018. As soon as this news was announced, it immediately became a hot topic. It remains to be seen whether Putin, who has served as president for three times, can be re-elected next year and continue to lead Russia.
Announce one’s candidacy at the "best time"
Since the beginning of this year, with the approaching of the 2018 general election, whether Putin will seek re-election has been concerned by Russia and abroad. Previously, Putin was asked on several occasions whether he would participate in the 2018 general election, but he did not respond positively.
On the 6th, when Putin participated in an activity in an automobile factory, he finally made it clear that he would participate in the presidential election in March next year. Putin said to the workers in the car factory under the stage, "There is really no better time than now." The news has been announced, and warm applause broke out at the scene.
Putin has always had a high popularity in Russia. According to a poll conducted by the Russian polling agency "Social Opinion" Foundation at the end of November, most Russians are satisfied with Putin’s administration. If Putin stands for election, two-thirds of the respondents will vote for Putin.
Data map: Russian President Vladimir Putin
If re-elected, he will be in power until 2024.
If he is re-elected in next year’s general election, the 65-year-old Putin will serve as Russian president for the fourth time, which means that his years as president are expected to reach 24 years.
In March 2000, Putin was elected president of Russia for the first time and was re-elected in 2004. According to the Russian constitution, Putin cannot continue to serve as president after being elected twice. From 2008 to 2012, Medvedev served as President and Putin as Russian Prime Minister. In 2012, Putin was re-elected as president.
According to the revised Russian Constitution, the term of office of the president is changed from 4 years to 6 years. Therefore, if Putin wins the presidential election in 2018, he will continue to be in power until 2024 without any accident.
Who are the competitors?
According to the schedule, the Russian presidential election will be held on March 18, 2018, and the election campaign will begin in December this month. Russian political parties will hold a party congress in December to launch their own presidential candidates.
At present, besides Putin, there are also zhirinovsky, leader of the Russian Liberal Democratic Party, zyuganov, chairman of the Central Committee of the Russian Communist Party, Yavlinski, founder of the Yabolu Party, and sobchak, a TV hostess.
In addition, Putin’s "old partner" and current Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said that he would not participate in this election. Medvedev told the media earlier: "Personally, at this stage, in this political cycle, I will not run for president."
However, Medvedev also said that he will continue to be in politics.
Data map: Medvedev and Putin
What achievements has Putin made in these years?
Putin has been president for more than ten years since 2000. It is widely believed that since Putin came to power, Russia’s economy has been boosted, and drastic actions have been taken in anti-corruption and other fields. The media previously reported that after Putin came to power, by 2015, Russia’s nominal GDP had increased 14 times, and the country’s foreign debt had dropped from $150 billion to $50 billion.
In November 2017, Putin said in a discussion with railway employees that Russia’s economy has stepped out of recession and entered the stage of sustainable development and growth. "This is very important. Because whether it is social security, citizens’ income level, or national defense capabilities, including security, it all depends on the economic level and is closely related to the economy. "
As far as national defense is concerned, Putin believes that Russia has also undergone positive changes. "It is obvious that we have not only improved our economic independence, but also strengthened our national security." Putin said.
Data Map: On May 10, 2017, in Sochi, Russia, Putin attended the 6 th All-Russian Ice Hockey Festival of the Night Hockey League.
Athletes are multi-faceted "tough guys"
Putin’s image as an "iron-fisted politician" is deeply rooted in people’s hearts, and his tough image has won him the title of "tough guy".
As we all know, Putin is a KGB background, a master of judo and taekwondo, and a rare "practitioner" in international politics. In addition, he also loves sports, likes hunting, horseback riding, and ice hockey. In recent years, he has to show his skills in the ice hockey field almost every year.
However, this tough guy also has a gentle side, the first of which is his love for his family. Putin rarely talks about his family. He said that he did not want to expose the identity of his grandchildren and did not want his children’s lives to be disturbed. However, the grandfather of two children also said that he loves his daughter and grandchildren and is proud of them.
Putin is also a super animal lover and an out-and-out "shovel officer". He has owned many pet dogs successively, and he is often given pet dogs by various countries.
Data Map: On October 11th this year, Putin met with Turkmenistan’s President Gurbanguly Berdymuhamedov and was presented with the unique Arable Dog in Turkmenistan.
"eloquent" witty remarks
In addition, Putin is also known for "being able to talk". In addition to delivering the State of the Union address every year during his presidency, since 2001, he has also started the tradition of holding an annual press conference for Russia and created the program "Direct Connection with Putin".
Since 2000, Putin has delivered 13 State of the Union addresses, held 15 "Direct Connections with Putin" and held 12 annual press conferences. In these activities, Putin often "chats" for hours, and the witty sentences appearing in his speech are praised.
This year’s annual press conference of the Russian President is scheduled to be held on December 14th. According to Russian media reports, this year’s State of the Union address may be postponed until 2018.