5 months later, on March 18, 2018, Russia will hold presidential elections. At the moment the intention to run for the highest office, said the 17 politicians, including Alexei Navalny. Prominent opposition leader and founder of the Fund of struggle against corruption has applied to the CEC in December 2016 and has since been leading active engagement with the electorate.
The politician opened the 79 election headquarters in different parts of the Russian Federation and has organized several large protests. But Bulk can be useless — the authorities categorically is not going to allow him to participate in the elections. This was reported by BBC Russian service, citing anonymous sources close to the presidential administration.
The source, who wished to remain in the shadows, said that the decision was taken after extensive consultations. The publication notes that at first the Kremlin was contemplating the approval of Navalny as a candidate to create intrigue and increase voter turnout, which promises to be low. Then this option was ruled out.
On 17 October the head of the Central election Commission of the Russian Federation Ella Pamfilova said that a politician can not run in the upcoming elections due to the presence of a criminal record.
The problem lies in the scandalous Affairs of «Yves-Rocher» and «Kirovles», which Navalny had been accused in the period from 2012 to 2017 and was given a suspended sentence. According to Pamfilova, he cannot become a candidate for the highest office before the expiration of the 10-year period after repayment of the prior convictions.
Note that on 23 February 2016, the European court of human rights ruled that the verdict in the case of «Kirovles» was sentenced Lenin district court of Kirov «in violation of the right to a fair trial and no punishment without law».
17 October this year, simultaneously with the application Panfilova, the European court made the decision according to which the verdict against Alexei Navalny and his brother Oleg in the case of «Yves Rocher» was «arbitrary and unreasonable».
- In September, the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe which monitors the implementation of decisions of the ECHR has upheld the right of the opposition to participate in elections: the Committee expressed concern that the applicants are still suffering from the effects of unjust sentences, urging the Russian authorities to lift the ban on the participation of Navalny in the elections.
Currently, Navalny is in jail on 2 October, five days prior to the anniversary of Vladimir Putin and timed to coincide with it mass protests Simonovsky district court sentenced him to imprisonment for a period of 20 days for the repeated calls to participate in the unapproved public event.
The politician called his arrest «a gift to the birthday of Putin.»
20 days of arrest. Man Putin is so scared of our meetings in the regions that have decided to please myself for the anniversary with a small gift. So peaceful.
— Alexey Navalny (@navalny) October 2, 2017
Alexey Navalny — one of the most recognizable opposition of Russia. In June 2017 he joined the TOP-25 most influential people in the Internet magazine, the Times, ahead of one step of Donald trump.
