Russian Presidential Election Set for March 2008

Russian authorities have set March 9, 2008, as the date for the country's next presidential elections.

The head of Russia's Central Electoral Commission, Alexander Veshnyakov, made the announcement while on a visit to the Russian Caucasus city of Stavropol. He said the pre-election campaign will begin in early December of next year.

Russia's constitution bars President Vladimir Putin from running for a third consecutive term and the Russian leader has repeatedly said he has no intention of remaining in office. But in a televised question-and-answer session in October, the Russian leader said he expects to play a role in setting government policy after leaving office and thus help guarantee the country's development.

By VOA News