Putin to Announce Decision on 2018 Presidential Election Participation Soon

Presidential elections will be held in Russia in 2018. Incumbent Russian President Vladimir Putin has not yet announced whether he will register as a candidate.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Russian President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday that he would announce his decision on participation in the 2018 presidential election in the near future, noting that everyone should understand the responsibility of it.

"The only motive that can trigger a person to make such a decision is the intention to improve the life of people, to make the country more protected and focused on the future," Putin added, stressing that such a decision could be made only on the condition that he has the trust and support of the people.

READ MORE: Conference on Public Monitoring of 2018 Russian Election Due on November 21

Earlier the day, Putin participated in the 2017 Volunteer of Russia award ceremony. While answering questions, the president was asked if he had already decided to run for presidency. In turn, Putin wondered if the audience supported him in the move, to which the crowd replied with cheers of approval.

The next presidential election in Russia is scheduled for March 2018, while the campaign is set to start later this month. International observers will be invited to monitor the presidential elections, Russian Federation Council speaker Valentina Matvienko said previously in an interview with Rossiya-24 television. The usage of video surveillance is also being discussed by Russia's Central Election Commission (CEC) for the 2018 election.

As for the possible forthcoming election outcome, the level of approval of Russian President Vladimir Putin's work reached 81.4 percent by the end of June, with the president's trust rating standing at 49.2 percent, a poll by the Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VCIOM) revealed in early October.