Putin foe notches nomination
Presidential hopeful seeks to pressure Kremlin to allow bid
MOSCOW – Hundreds of supporters of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny nominated him for president Sunday, allowing Navalny to file the endorsement papers required for his candidacy and putting pressure on the Kremlin to allow him to run.
Navalny, the most formidable foe President Vladimir Putin has faced during 18 years in power, is prohibited from seeking political office because of a criminal conviction that is largely viewed as retribution. However, he could enter the race, if he gets special dispensation or the conviction is thrown out.
About 800 Navalny supporters assembled in a giant tent for the formal endorsement meeting held in Moscow’s snow-covered Silver Forest. His allies said multiple meeting venues refused to host the gathering.
Election authorities observed the endorsement process. Navalny and his legal advisers submitted the nomination papers with the Russian Election Commission on Sunday evening.
Outdoor endorsement gatherings also took place in 19 other cities, from Vladivostok to St. Petersburg.
In Moscow, several hundred people gathered on a central Moscow square to demonstrate support for his nomination.
Russian law requires candidates to submit endorsements from just 500 people before they may start collecting the 1 million signatures needed to appear on the ballot. Putin’s representatives are expected to file his nomination papers on Tuesday.
Election officials were expected to accept Navalny’s paperwork, but it’s highly unlikely they will allow him to proceed to the signature-gathering stage.
Polling agencies show Putin all but certain to win the March election. Polls show him with an 80 percent approval rating among Russian citizens. But Navalny has managed to galvanize some of the vast country’s sleepiest regions with a yearlong grass-roots campaign.
“We have seen for ourselves this year that overwhelming support for authorities simply isn’t there,” Navalny said during an American-style campaign speech at the nomination meeting, where he was flanked by his wife and children.