Boris Nadezhdine, the only opponent of Vladimir Putin and his offensive in Ukraine to have run in the March presidential elections in Russia, saw his candidacy rejected by the Electoral Commission on Thursday.
This discreet veteran of political life has channeled the hopes of Russians opposed to the Kremlin's policies, in the absence of other, better-known opposition figures who are all in exile or in prison.
He has indicated that he wants to challenge the rejection of his candidacy in court, but his chances of success are almost zero.
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“The Central Electoral Commission refused to register my candidacy
,” Nadejdine, 60, said on Telegram.
The body in charge of organizing the polls in Russia, loyal to the Kremlin, has not yet made this decision official, but according to the opponent there is no doubt about it.
“Participating in the 2024 presidential election is the most important political decision of my life.
I am not going back on my intentions.
I will appeal the decision of the Electoral Commission to the Supreme Court
,” he added.
Invalid signatures
In a context of systematic repression of any challenge to power in Russia, the re-election of outgoing President Vladimir Putin in the elections held on March 15 and 17 is beyond doubt.
The Electoral Commission criticizes Nadejdine for not having collected the 100,000 valid signatures of voters supporting him to be able to run for president.
On Monday, a Commission working group had already issued a negative opinion on Nadejdine's candidacy, claiming to have found 15% of
"erroneous signatures"
among those he submitted, three times more than the authorized error ceiling. .
The Supreme Court, another institution loyal to the Kremlin, is unlikely to rule in favor of Nadezhdin.
Stopping the “nightmare” in Ukraine
In this context, Nadezhdine had few illusions about his chances of success in the presidential election, but nevertheless told AFP at the end of January that he hoped that the presidential election could mark the “
beginning of the end”
of the Putin era. .
“
Tens of millions of people were going to vote for me
.
I am in second place behind Putin!”
, Nadejdine further proclaimed Thursday before the Commission.
Former liberal MP with a hitherto discreet political career, Boris Nadezhdine promises to stop the
“nightmare”
of the offensive in Ukraine, to put an end to the
“militarization”
of Russia and to release
“all political prisoners”
as Opponent Alexeï Navalny detained in the Arctic.
Little known outside the tiny liberal circle, the person said he started in October because no more famous anti-Putin figure had taken the plunge.
The Kremlin has not hidden its disdain for this opponent.
“We do not consider him as a competitor
,” Dmitri Peskov, spokesperson for the Russian president, told the press at the end of January.
Vladimir Putin, in power since 2000, is aiming for a new six-year term in March.
Faced with candidates who all more or less support his policies, his re-election is in little doubt.
With the help of a constitutional reform adopted in 2020, he can remain in the Kremlin until 2036, the year he turns 84.