Russia registers 2 candidates against Putin in upcoming election

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Russia's election commission has registered two candidates to oppose President Vladimir Putin in the upcoming 2024 elections.

Liberal Democratic Party candidate Leonid Slutsky and New People Party candidate Vladislav Davankov were approved for the March election by official this week. 

Danankov currently serves as the deputy speaker for the state Duma — Russia's lower legislative chamber. Slutsky is the head of the state Duma's foreign affairs committee.

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Russian Interior Minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev speaks during a plenary session of the State Duma in Moscow, Russia.  (Getty Images)

While ostensibly rivals for the nation's top executive position, nationalist Slutsky and liberal-leaning Davankov are widely seen as mere token opposition by analysts.

Putin submitted his nomination papers to the Central Election Commission last month for the March 17 election, which he is widely expected to win. The former intelligence officer remains hugely popular in Russia. 

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Russian President Vladimir Putin chairs a meeting with members of the government via a video conference at the Kremlin in Moscow. ((Photo by ALEXANDER KAZAKOV/SPUTNIK/AFP via Getty Images))

His support spiked with the onset of the war against Ukraine, and he currently has an approval rating of 82%, according to Statista, a global data platform.

Putin has held continuous positions as president or prime minister since 1999. He has been president since 2012, with his previous stint as president running from 2000 to 2008. 

Not all individuals seeking to run against Putin have been given clearance to stand for election.

Russian politician Yekaterina Duntsova speaks to journalists after she appealed in Russia's Supreme Court a decision by the Central Election Commission that refused to accept her initial nomination by a group of supporters, citing errors in the documents submitted, in Moscow, Russia. (AP Photo/Dmitry Serebryakov)

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A former TV journalist and Ukraine War critic has been disqualified from running against Putin in next year’s presidential election.

Yekaterina Duntsova, 40, an independent politician who wanted to run on a platform to end the war with Ukraine, had her candidacy application unanimously rejected by the country’s electoral commission on Saturday, which cited "numerous violations" in the papers she had submitted.

Fox News Digital's Michael Dorgan contributed to this report.