The Russian Central Election Commission (CEC) on Friday approved the registration of an action group that nominated acting President Vladimir Putin as a candidate for the next Russian president.

From this moment, 110 activists of the group have been authorized to collect signatures in support of Putin's candidacy by February 13. Putin needs a minimum of 500 thousand signatures to be registered as a candidate.

The CEC received documents for the registration by the initiative group nominating Putin for the next president Wednesday.

The law gives the commission four days to ratify registration of a candidate. Putin was nominated on January 12.

By now as many as 12 sponsoring groups nominating their own candidates have got legally registered across the country.