Russians will elect their next president on Sunday (March 18). The central election commission has registered eight candidates.

Among the contenders are current Russian President Vladimir Putin, Russian Communist party nominee Pavel Grudinin, Russian TV personality Ksenia Sobchak, a daughter of a reformist St Petersburg mayor who had hired Putin as an official in City Hall in the 1990s, two politicians who have been in Russian politics for more than 20 years – the leader of Yabloko party Grigory Yavlinksy and the head of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia Vladimir Zhirinovsky.

Three other candidates for presidency are the leader of Russian All-People’s Union Sergei Baburin, Russian business ombudsman Boris Titov and the leader of Communists of Russia party Maxim Suraikin.

Opinion polls show Putin, 65, who has been in power, either as president or prime minister, since 2000, will comfortably win re-election and will serve his fourth presidential term.