Russia took a step on Tuesday to exclude supporters of the imprisoned opponent Alexeï Navalny from the next legislative elections, whose organizations are facing a procedure to qualify them as
"extremists"
.
Read also: Russia: the trial to ban Navalny's movement postponed
At first reading, Russian deputies adopted a bill prohibiting people involved in groups labeled as such from standing in the legislative elections on 19 September. A trial to have the Anti-Corruption Fund (FBK) and Alexei Navalny's regional offices recognized as "extremists" began Monday in Moscow.
Since the beginning of the year, the Russian authorities have stepped up their offensives against Mr. Navalny's activities in the run-up to the legislative elections This election promises to be delicate for the party in power, United Russia, unpopular against the backdrop of voter weariness, economic stagnation, corruption scandals, despite the still real popularity of President Vladimir Putin.
Alexeï Navalny, ineligible since 2017, is serving a two-and-a-half-year prison sentence for a fraud case dating from 2014, widely considered to be political.
His arrest in Russia in January came a few months after poisoning that nearly killed him and of which he accuses the Kremlin.
"Absolute vacherie"
The text voted on Tuesday prohibits people involved in an "extremist" organization from being a deputy.
Retroactive, it targets any individual who has held a position of responsibility in such an organization up to five years before being qualified as an "extremist", a period reduced to three years for simple militants or sympathizers.
While 293 deputies voted in favor of the text, 45 opposed and the vote was marked by criticism from deputies from the Communist Party and from Just Russia, whose positions are generally in accordance with the wishes of the Kremlin.
"So many constitutional provisions are violated that I do not even know how we can discuss or vote for,"
said Valéri Gartoung, of Just Russia.
Russia: Navalny networks threatened with annihilation by justice
A deputy of the party in power, Vassili Piskarev, maintained that the text aimed to counter
“attempts at foreign interference”
which
“will multiply before the elections”
. Alexeï Navalny's team denounced an
"absolute cowardice". "Tens of thousands of people will lose with a snap of their finger their right to be elected,"
she said on Telegram, adding that she had
"no doubt"
that this ban will be extended
"soon"
in local elections.
To enter into force, the law must pass second and third readings and then pass through the upper house of parliament, steps that are usually a formality in institutions controlled by the Kremlin.
The second reading is scheduled for May 25.
"Destabilization"
In recent years, United Russia has experienced several failures in local elections and Alexeï Navalny counted on this unpopularity, by presenting his candidates or encouraging them to vote for the candidate best placed against that of the Kremlin.
But the prosecution demanded in mid-April that several organizations linked to the opponent be declared
"extremists",
a qualifier which would incur heavy prison sentences for its collaborators.
According to the prosecutor's office, these organizations seek to
“destabilize”
the socio-political situation in Russia
“under the guise of liberal slogans”
.
In Russia, organizations recognized as
"extremist"
range from Jehovah's Witnesses to neo-Nazi or jihadist groups, such as the Islamic State.
The regional offices of the 44-year-old opponent already announced their self-dissolution last month after they had already been added to a list of
"extremist and terrorist" organizations
compiled by Russia's financial intelligence service.
Read also: Russia: justice could outlaw the Navalny movement
Founded in 2011, the FBK is known for its investigations denouncing corruption in Russian power circles. The most resounding, published in January, accused President Vladimir Putin of having had a palace built on the Black Sea. Seen 116 million times on YouTube, it has forced Mr. Putin to deny it personally, a rare thing. The regional offices of Alexei Navalny broadcast their own surveys but above all organize “smart voting” campaigns consisting in supporting the candidate most likely to beat that of the Kremlin, whatever his political color.
