Unsurprisingly, on December 8, Vladimir Putin announced his candidacy for the presidential election next March. The man who has ruled Russia for 23 years had the Constitution amended in 2020. Which theoretically authorizes him to remain in power until 2036 and would make him surpass Joseph Stalin in terms of longevity in the Kremlin. His re-election appears to be just a formality. In recent years, the Russian opposition and civil society have been muzzled against the backdrop of the conflict in Ukraine: the main political opponents are either exiled or imprisoned, like Alexeï Navalny, the number one enemy of the Kremlin, whose relatives do not know where it turns out that ; others died or were physically silenced.
On the international scene, several elements could work in its favor. First of all, the Ukrainian counter-offensive is slipping, and the West’s military support for kyiv is crumbling, despite the agreement reached to begin negotiations for membership in the EU at the last European summit. The war raging between Israel and Hamas, on the other hand, is focusing the attention of international leaders, starting with the United States.
Finally, Vladimir Putin is impatiently awaiting next November, and a potential election of Donald Trump to the White House. Will 2024 be the year of the master of the Kremlin? Find the analysis of Charles Haquet, Frédéric Encel and Axel Gyldén in our new long video format to discover here or on our YouTube channel.