According to official sources, Russian President Vladimir Putin will compete against three politicians who support the war in Ukraine in the upcoming presidential elections next month, while a war-opposing candidate has been excluded.
The “TASS” news agency reported that the candidacy door was closed for the anti-war politician Boris Nadegdin after the Central Election Committee prevented him last Thursday from submitting his candidacy, citing violations in the collection of required signatures to support his nomination.
Nadegdin, who was excluded from the elections, has described the war in Ukraine as a “serious mistake” and stated last Thursday that he would appeal the decision of the Central Election Committee to the Supreme Court in Russia.
The approved list includes Vladislav Davankov, Deputy Chairman of the Russian State Duma and member of the “New People” party, Leonid Slutsky, the leader of the extreme nationalist Democratic Party loyal to the Kremlin, and Nikolai Kharitonov, the Communist Party’s candidate.
Observers expect Putin (71 years old) to easily win in the elections next month. Putin chose to run independently and not as a candidate for the ruling “United Russia” party.
Two months ago, former television journalist Ekaterina Dontsova was disqualified from running, with Putin critics stating that her disqualification shows that no one with genuine opposing views will be allowed to run against him in the first presidential elections since the start of the war in Ukraine 24 months ago. They argue that the elections are a sham with a predetermined outcome.
