Russian Officials Further Stack Deck in Favor of Putin's Reelection

Russian election officials have chosen a pro-war symbol associated with Russian President Vladimir Putin as the official logo of their nation's 2024 presidential election.

According to a report by Moscow Times, Russia's Central Election Commission (CEC) announced on Monday that it had selected the Latin letter "V" in the colors of the Russian flag as the logo for the March election. The symbol is accompanied by the slogan, "Together we are strong--vote for Russia!"

The letter "V" has also been used by Putin in his military campaign to garner support for Russia's war against Ukraine. The Kremlin leader and his allies have also promoted the phrase, "Together we are strong," at several public events since the start of the war in February 2022.

According to sources close to the Kremlin who spoke with Moscow Times, Putin's administration was aware that the CEC sought to use the war-related logo for this year's election before the symbol was announced. A handful of Russian government officials also told the outlet that the logo was chosen as a way to boost Putin's reelection campaign.

Newsweek reached out to the Kremlin via email for comment on Wednesday.

Putin, who is running for his fifth term as president, is considered a shoo-in. His campaign is being challenged by a handful of candidates, but with obstacles in place over who can appear on the ballot, and with one of Putin's top challengers running a campaign from jail, his election chances look all but assured. Several of Putin's opponents have also not waged an aggressive campaign against the incumbent, according to Russian investigative site Agentstvo.

Due to constitutional changes made prior to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, if reelected, Putin would serve until 2036. The 71-year-old was officially cleared by the CEC to appear on the March presidential ballot this week.

Three other candidates who were nominated by Russian political parties have also been cleared to appear on the ballot, according to a report from the Associated Press (AP). Under CEC guidelines, candidates backed by an official party are not required to collect signatures to run for president. Putin, who is registered as an independent, was required to obtain at least 300,000 signatures to get on the ballot.

One of Putin's most outspoken critics, local Russian lawmaker Boris Nadezhin, has also announced his intentions to run in March. Nadezhdin is backed by the center-right Civic Initiative Party, which is not officially recognized by Russia's parliament. The CEC is expected to review his application to appear on the ballot later this week, according to AP.