"Two Opposition Candidates Cleared to Challenge Putin in Upcoming March Election"

Russia's national elections commission has registered Leonid Slutsky and Vladislav Davankov to run against President Vladimir Putin in the March presidential election. Both candidates are seen as unlikely to pose a significant challenge to Putin, who has been in power since 2000 and is running as an independent. The Communist Party's candidate has not yet been registered, and a peace advocate was rejected from running. Putin's victory is widely anticipated given his long-standing political dominance.