Russia's ruling party backs Putin's reelection bid while a pro-peace candidate clears first hurdle

Russian state new agencies have reported that delegates from Russia's ruling party have unanimously backed President Vladimir Putin's bid for reelection at a party conference in Moscow

MOSCOW -- Delegates from Russia’s ruling party unanimously backed President Vladimir Putin ’s bid for reelection at a party conference in Moscow on Sunday, state agencies reported, just a day after the Kremlin leader’s supporters formally nominated him to run in the 2024 presidential election as an independent.

A little-known Russian presidential hopeful who calls for peace in Ukraine also inched closer towards formally registering as a candidate, securing a nomination from a group of more than 500 supporters in the Russian capital.

Dmitry Medvedev, United Russia’s chairman and a former Russian president and prime minister, called on fellow party members to “mobilize all activists and supporters” in support of Putin before the vote, scheduled for March 15-17, according to reports by Russian state agencies.

In a speech at the conference, Medvedev referred to Putin as “our candidate,” and asserted that his reelection for a fifth term as head of state “should be absolutely logical, legitimate and absolutely indisputable.”

“We must mobilize all activists, all supporters in order to prevent any disruptions during the election campaign, stop any attempts to influence the course of the campaign from the outside, arrange provocations, disseminate false, harmful information or violate public order,” Medvedev said.