Kremlin controls who's on ballot
In this presidential election, only four candidates have been allowed on the ballot paper.
They are Mr Putin, and three candidates who, for the most part, avoid criticising Russia's long-term leader and his war in Ukraine.
All the candidates who have been allowed to run have polling numbers south of 10 per cent, so pose no real threat.
Those three candidates are Leonid Slutsky from the Liberal Democratic Party, Nikolai Kharitonov from the Communist Party, and Vladislav Davankov from the New People Party.
Jailed opposition politician Vladimir Kara-Murza described them as, "token candidates from the officially permitted 'opposition' parties".
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-03-16/how-russian-election-is-rigged-for-vladimir-putin/103595508
