Putin's anti-war challenger faces likely exclusion from election


  • World
  • Monday, 05 Feb 2024

FILE PHOTO: Boris Nadezhdin, a representative of Civil Initiative political party who plans to run for Russian president in the March 2024 election, talks to journalists as he visits an office of the Central Election Commission to submit documents and signatures in support of his candidacy, in Moscow, Russia January 31, 2024. REUTERS/Shamil Zhumatov/File Photo

MOSCOW (Reuters) -Russian anti-war presidential candidate Boris Nadezhdin said on Monday that a working group of Russia's Central Election Commission had found 15% of the supporters' signatures he submitted to back his election bid to be invalid.

That figure, if confirmed, is three times higher than the allowable error rate and would provide grounds for the commission to disqualify Nadezhdin from running against President Vladimir Putin in March.

The commission will make a final ruling on the matter on Wednesday, Nadezhdin's spokesman said.

Nadezhdin said on Telegram that he would appeal to the Supreme Court if the commission refused to register him.

Nadezhdin last week presented the electoral commission with signatures from more than 100,000 supporters across Russia as part of his bid to get his name on the ballot paper.

On Friday, the commission said its initial analysis of the signatures showed some of those listed as Nadezhdin supporters were dead people.

Nobody expects Nadezhdin, 60, to win even if he is allowed to participate, given Putin's long dominance and control of the state.

But his campaign has captured people's attention because of his outright opposition to what the Kremlin calls its "special military operation" in Ukraine. Nadezhdin says Putin made a "fatal mistake" by launching it, and has pledged to end the conflict via negotiation.

(Reporting by ReutersEditing by Mark Trevelyan and Gareth Jones)

Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel for breaking news alerts and key updates!
   

Next In World

Holiday sales reveal split in U.S. consumer spending
Trump's tariff plan to hit affordable cars hardest: WSJ
Immigrants pivotal for U.S. California, fearful of Trump policy: report
People draw lessons from 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami
Yearender: Deep dive dents bullish year in U.S. equity market with mixed expectations in 2025
U.S. colleges expand financial aid programs with prices near 100,000 USD
Weight-loss drugs take over year of 2024: Bloomberg
EV sales remain strong globally: AP
Christmas shooting at U.S. Phoenix airport leaves 3 people wounded, 1 stabbed
Manmohan Singh, India's reluctant prime minister, dies aged 92

Others Also Read