Russian presidential election, 2018 (Dawn of Reform)

The Russian presidential election of 2018 is held on March 19 and April 8.

Incumbent President Vladimir Putin is eligible to seek a new term and has speculated a run for reelection, but has announced in November of 2017 that he will retire from politics. Instead, Putin urged United Russia to nominate Former President Dmitry Medvedev. Sergey Shoygu, widely speculated by the people as United Russia candidate, protested at the nominating convention that "Medvedev is too corrupt and unpopular to be elected." After the convention, Shoygu ran as an independent. This move, however, split the votes that could have allowed Medvedev to win in the first round, enabling opposition candidate Alexei Navalny to launch an effective campaign against Medvedev before the second round.

On April 8, Navalny defied the opinion polls and won against Medvedev. Many foreign leaders congratulated Navalny on his surprise victory and wished him success. The former opposition, communists and nationalists alike, celebrated Navalny's victory and expressed support in his anti-corruption and liberalization agenda.

Background
The President of Russia is elected with a two-round system. If no candidate secures a majority of votes in the first round, then a runoff will be held between the top-two candidates from the first round.