Putin may run for President again in 2018 - as an independent candidate

Russian President Vladimir Putin may run again for re-election as Russia's leader, but would have to split from his United Russia party.

In a move that seems designed to ensure Russian leader remains in the Kremlin until 2024, the party has decided to back a Putin re-election campaign, but only if he stands as an independent candidate, "a candidate for all Russians," in March 2018.

The move comes as Russia's ruling United Russia party held a congress to decide on its future. Vladimir Putin is the only leader the party has ever had in its 16 years of existence.

It may also mean that Putin will be able to distance himself from the party's mistakes, so that even if United Russia does poorly at the polls, Putin emerge unscathed from the party political fray, reports say.

Political opposition in Russia is reported to be disjointed and incapable of mounting an effective campaign, having been split by rival presidential bids and with it's most popular candidate, Alexei Navalny, being banned from submitting his candidature due to a previous conviction for embezzlement. Navalny called for a boycott of the March 2018 election in response to the decision to ban him.