Russian presidential election: Putin's prominent opponent, Boris Nadezhdin rejected, from presidential race
Although doubts about the fairness of the Russian presidential elections persist, Vladimir Putin and his team have always tried to give an impression of choice, however illusory, to those going to the polls. This choice is typically between minor politicians or people who openly support the current president.
Genuine political rivals, on the other hand, are effectively pushed aside, imprisoned, or killed. A notable and recent case of this is the situation with Alexei Navalny, arguably Russia's most well-known opposition figure. Putin, however, doesn't always have to utilize such extreme measures.
It was expected that the only significant opposition to Vladimir Putin in the presidential elections, scheduled for March 15, 16, and 17, 2024, would be Boris Nadezhdin. Backed by exiled politicians, he was the only contender who openly opposed the ongoing war in Ukraine. His candidacy, unfortunately, is now a thing of the past.
Putin's only real opponent denied entrance to the elections
The Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation announced on February 8, that Boris Nadezhdin did not gather the required 100,000 signatures to qualify as a candidate. The politician claims he amassed a total of more than 200,000 signatures, but the CEC only validated 95,587 of them.
Nadezhdin's team appealed against this decision, and the CEC partially accepted it, restoring the validity of 62 signatures. In doing so, the Central Election Commission effectively ended Nadezhdin's candidacy. Undeterred, he states his intent to lodge another appeal. He has five days to do so.
However, any expectations for the politician, considered to be the closest candidate to the "opposition," to be allowed to run for the presidential chair are low. Vladimir Putin can rest easy - another potential threat has been partially neutralized, and his place as a president-dictator remains unchallenged.
