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Russian presidential election: Alexei Navalny barred from competing
Democracy ... Putin style. Either have the opposition candidate murdered (Boris Nemtsov) or ban any significant opposition candidate from the election.
BBC
December 25, 2017
Mr Navalny was seen as the only candidate with a chance of challenging President Putin
Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has been formally barred from competing in next year's presidential election. The Central Electoral Commission has said Mr Navalny was ineligible because of a corruption conviction which he says is politically motivated. He has urged his supporters to boycott the March vote. Mr Navalny, 41, was widely regarded as the only candidate with a chance of challenging President Vladimir Putin. "We're declaring a strike by voters. The procedure that we're invited to take part is not an election," Mr Navalny said after the decision, adding that he would lead protests across the country. Known for his anti-corruption campaign and protests against Mr Putin, Mr Navalny was given a five-year suspended sentence in a retrial earlier this year on embezzlement charges.
Reacting to the widely expected decision, Mr Navalny said the case was intended to block him from "speaking the truth" about the situation in Russia, and that barring him from running would deny millions of Russians their vote. "Only Putin and the candidates that he personally chose, ones who don't pose the slightest threat to him, are taking part [in the vote]," he added. Mr Navalny was first sentenced in 2013 accused of embezzling timber worth 16m roubles ($500,000; £330,000) from the Kirovles state timber company while working as an adviser to Kirov's governor. The verdict was quashed by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), which said he was not given a fair hearing. A retrial earlier this year gave him the exact same sentence. Mr Putin is seeking a fourth term that would see him become the longest-serving Russian leader since Joseph Stalin. He still retains a massive approval rating and is almost certain to ease to victory in the election.
Democracy ... Putin style. Either have the opposition candidate murdered (Boris Nemtsov) or ban any significant opposition candidate from the election.