Vladimir Putin will run for president again as an independent candidate with a wide support base but not on a party ticket, Russian news agencies reported on December 16, citing his supporters. An initiative group made up of over 700 politicians and figures from the sporting and cultural worlds met in Moscow and unanimously endorsed Putin's nomination as an independent candidate, Russian news agencies said. Putin will not run as a candidate for the ruling United Russia party even though he has its complete support but as an independent candidate, Andrei Turchak, a senior UR party official, was cited as saying by the RIA Novosti news agency.
Putin To Run For President As Independent Candidate, Officials Say
Russian President Vladimir Putin