Russian President Vladimir Putin has submitted his application for registration as an independent candidate in the 2018 Russian presidential election. Central Elections Commission (CEC) yesterday accepted the documents, which included an application for registration of an initiative group of supporters, a statement of consent to running for President, confirmations of biographical data as well as income and property ownership data.<br/><br/> The CEC now has five days to check them and make a final decision on Mr Putin's registration as a candidate. Mr Putin's closest contenders are Vladimir Zhirinovsky, head of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR) and Gennady Zyuganov, the head of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation (KPRF).