Support The Moscow Times!

Russian Communist Party Leader Zyuganov Announces Presidential Bid

Gennady Zyuganov (Sergey Bobylev / TASS)

Gennady Zyuganov, the long-time leader of the Communist Party has announced he will run for president in elections in March next year. 

Zyuganov’s announcement on the state-funded Channel One came as Russia marked the centenary of the October Revolution. 

This will be Zyuganov’s fifth run for president since 1996. The last campaign was in 2012, when Zyuganov won 17.2 percent of the vote. The Communist Party has about 160,000 members, 40 percent of whom are under 35.

President Vladimir Putin is widely expected to run for his fourth presidential term and win, though he has not officially announced his candidacy. 

Zyuganov is likely to compete for second place with the veteran leader of the Liberal Democratic Party, Vladimir Zhirinovsky. 

Alexei Navalny, Russia’s most prominent opposition leader, continues to run a nationwide campaign, even though he is barred from running due to a criminal conviction which he claims is politically motivated. 

Also running are socialite and former reality-TV host Ksenia Sobchak, singer-songwriter and socialite Yekaterina Gordon, porn actress Yelena Berkova, Anfisa Chekhov, TV host and model, Yelena Semerikova, the head of the Women's Dialogue party, and Samson Sholademi, an African-Russian blogger and businessman.

Sign up for our free weekly newsletter

Our weekly newsletter contains a hand-picked selection of news, features, analysiss and more from The Moscow Times. You will receive it in your mailbox every Friday. Never miss the latest news from Russia. Preview
Subscribers agree to the Privacy Policy

A Message from The Moscow Times:

Dear readers,

We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."

These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.

By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.

Once
Monthly
Annual
Continue
paiment methods
Not ready to support today?
Remind me later.

Read more