ALEXEI NAVALNY ASKED SUPPORTERS TO BOYCOTT :RUSSIA'S TOP COURT BARS MAIN CONTENDER OF PUTIN FROM MARCH ELECTION
After facing arrest and restrictions on his rallies, opposition leader Alexei Navalny is up against the biggest challenge of finding a way to contest in Russian election. |
Opposition leader Alexei Navalny asked supporters to boycott the
upcoming election as the court decision allows Vladimir Putin an easy victory.
Russia's top court on Saturday rejected an appeal by opposition leader
Alexei Navalny against a decision to bar him from running in the country's 2018
presidential election.
The Supreme Court agreed with Russia's Central Election Commission that
Navalny cannot register as a candidate due to a controversial embezzlement
conviction, which the opposition chief says is politically motivated.
Opposed only by token candidates, Russian President Vladimir Putin is
widely expected to win a fourth presidential term in the election, which take
place in March.
Navalny's campaign team said it will ask the Supreme Court to
reconsider its decision and will also file a complaint with the European Court
of Human Rights.
Despite restrictions on his political campaign, Alexei Navalny has managed to pull thousands of young Russians to streets against Putin's government. |
"We understood that this would be a political decision. But we
will continue to go through all the stages of appealing," said Navalny's
lawyer Ivan Zhdanov.
On Monday, Russia's Central Election Commission unanimously rejected
Navalny's bid to run against President Putin.
Navalny, who has campaigned across Russia in recent months, argues that
his conviction was lifted in the European Court of Human Rights, and that
banning him from participation would make election illegitimate.
The ban prompted the 41-year-old opposition leader to call for a
boycott of the election.
In a tweet following the Supreme Court ruling, Navalny repeated his
call for Russians to shun the vote: "We do not recognise elections without
competition."
He has built a sizeable campaign through his blog and YouTube channel
on an anti-corruption platform and has held several mass rallies across Russia
this year that saw a high number of young people participate.
Navalny has called on his supporters to take to the streets again on
January 28 following the ban.
Putin has been in power since 1999 and a victory in March would extend
his rule until 2024, making him the longest serving Russian leader since Josef
Stalin.
The president and other top Russian officials do not refer to Navalny
by name.
NEWS SOURCE : TRT WORLD
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