Putin’s message will play the role of his pre-election program

The message of the President of Russia Vladimir Putin to the Federal Assembly “in essence, will play the role of his pre-election program”, Kommersant writes.

According to the sources of the newspaper, the epistle will most likely take place at the end of February, “but the date may shift a little.” According to the Russian Constitution, the president must report to the Federal Assembly annually. However, in 2022, Putin did not do this.

By law, presidential candidates must publish their campaign programs no later than March 6 – in at least one printed publication and on the Internet. However, in 2018, Putin, running for a fourth term, did not do this. Then his program was considered “a series of speeches”, including a message to the Federal Assembly.

It is expected that in the current message-program, Putin will again talk about the “achieved results of SVO”, “positive indicators of economic development”, “demography and large number of children”, say Kommersant’s interlocutors.

Voting in the presidential elections of Russia will take place from March 15 to 17, 2024. So far, the CEC has registered four candidates: Vladyslav Davankov from “New People”, Nikolai Kharitonov from the CPRF, Leonid Slutsky from the Liberal Democratic Party and Vladimir Putin, a self-promoted candidate who is about to become president for the fifth time.

• Elections in Russia are assessed by independent observers and experts as not free and dishonest. The authorities intervene in the election process, create advantages for pro-power candidates, and in some cases there are direct falsifications.