Information
Russia’s Central Election Commission has rejected the presidential candidacy of Boris Nadezhdin, a liberal opposition figure and anti-war activist. Nadezhdin had been considered the opposition’s best hope, but the commission cited a large number of incorrect signatures from supporters, justifying its decision on Thursday.
Nadezhdin submitted his bid at the end of January and obtained significantly more signatures than the required 100,000. However, from a random sample of 60,000 signatures, the commission found that 9,147 were invalid.
Only three other candidates, besides Russian President Vladimir Putin, are now likely to run in the election. These candidates are widely seen as an opposition in name only, as they are backed by the Kremlin and have no chance of defeating Putin.
Nadezhdin plans to challenge the commission’s decision in the Supreme Court, insisting that the signatures in his favor were gathered openly and honestly. “I don’t agree with the election commission’s decision,” said Nadezhdin. “I will not abandon my intentions. Sooner or later, I will be president of the Russian Federation,” he told a press conference. “I wish it would be sooner.”
Source: AFP, AP, dpa, Reuters
Assessment
This is a follow-up post from one earlier when we reported that Boris Nadezhdin had filed his application. It is now clear that Putin and the Kremlin do not even want to appear like this election is legitimate. The question is now, will Nadezhdin continue as he claims and attempts to have this overturned; it is likely that if he continues to create issues for the Kremlin, he may be “removed” as many politicians before him. Regardless, as before Nadezhdin applied to run in the election, it is almost certain that Putin will win and continue with his conflict in Ukraine.
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