Russian President Vladimir Putin has said he will seek another term as president in next year’s election.
Putin made the announcement in a speech to workers at a car factory in the Volga city of Nizhny Novgorod.
He said: “I will put forward my candidacy for the post of President of the Russian Federation”
Putin, 65, has been in power, either as president or prime minister, since 2000.
If, as expected, he contests and wins what would be a fourth presidential term in March, he would be eligible to serve another six years, until 2024.
Russian TV journalist Ksenia Sobchak has already said she will stand in the election but opinion polls suggest Putin will win by a large majority.
Russia’s main opposition leader, Alexei Navalny, has been formally barred from standing because he was found guilty of embezzlement, a charge he claims was politically motivated.
