Russian President Vladimir Putin has called upon citizens to participate in the upcoming presidential election, emphasizing the importance of voting. With Putin having been in power in Russia since 2000, his victory in this election is widely anticipated.

At 71 years old, Putin, who is also a candidate in the election, stands poised to secure his fifth presidential term, potentially extending his tenure until 2030. This would set a record for the longest-serving president in Russian history, surpassing the 24-year terms of Joseph Stalin and Leonid Brezhnev during the Soviet era.

Despite facing competition from several candidates, including Nikolai Kharitonov of the Russian Communist Party, Leonid Slatsky of the Nationalist Liberal Democratic Party, and Vladislav Davankov of the New People's Party, Putin remains the frontrunner.

A former lieutenant colonel in the Soviet Union's intelligence agency, the KGP, Putin ascended to the presidency in 1999 after the resignation of then-President Boris Yeltsin. Since then, he has won consecutive presidential elections, securing victories in 2000, 2004, 2012, and 2018, with varying percentages of the vote.

Putin's tenure has been marked by significant changes, including amendments to the constitution that extended the presidential term from four to six years and eliminated the limit on the number of presidential terms an individual could serve.

As Russia prepares for the upcoming election, all eyes are on Putin and the outcome that will shape the country's political landscape for years to come.