Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that he will seek a new six-year term in the country's March elections next year. <br/><br/>The sixty-five year old leader made the announcement in a speech to workers at a car factory in the Volga city of Nizhny Novgorod. He said he will put forward his candidacy for the post of president of the Russian federation for the fourth term. <br/><br/>Mr Putin has been in power since 2000, either as the President or Prime Minister. A full, six-year term until 2024 would make his 24-year tenure – including his years as the Prime Minister – the longest by a Russian leader since Joseph Stalin sat in the Kremlin for 29 years. <br/><br/>Russian TV journalist Ksenia Sobchak has already said she will stand in the election but opinion polls suggest Mr Putin will win easily.<br/><br/>Russia's main opposition leader, Alexei Navalny, has been formally barred from standing because he was found guilty of embezzlement – a charge he claims was politically motivated.