A politician who called Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine a “fatal mistake” has been barred from standing in the upcoming Russian election.
Boris Nadezhdin, who is a member of the liberal centre-right party Civic Initiative, looks likely to have his candidacy blocked after Kremlin-loyal officials said there were flaws in his application to get on the ballot.
He has galvanised a number of Russian voters opposed to the invasion of the ex-Soviet state.
The 60-year-old also declared Putin’s war a “fatal mistake”.
Boris Nadezhdin is hoping to challenge Vladimir Putin next month
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Hundreds of thousands of Russians appeared to support Nadezhdin’s bid by braving sub-zero temperatures to officially register their support for his campaign.
Nadezhdin’s support rose from around one per cent to 10 per cent in just a matter of weeks, independent polling firm Russian Field has claimed.
He was obliged to collect 100,000 signatures from about 40 regions to have a chance of standing at next month’s elections.
However, officials said on Monday that they had discovered flaws in 15 per cent of the signatures in his support.
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Russian President Vladimir Putin is looking to secure his sixth term
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The permitted maximum stands at just a third of the number.
It was even claimed Nadezhdin’s supporters included faked signatures from dead people.
The claim was widely mocked on various outlets.
An opposition Telegram outlet wrote: “The election committee wants to say that those kilometre-long queues for Nadezhdin were made up of zombies.”
Putin is expected to secure yet another six-year term as he looks likely to stay in the Kremlin until 2030.
Boris Nadezhdin campaign has faced a number of challenges
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There has also been a crackdown on Nadezhdin’s campaign, with staff unable to print pamphlets or posters.
The blow for Nadezhdin’s electoral hopes came as Tucker Carlson, an American pundit who was fired by Fox News in April, was spotted in Moscow at the weekend.
Carlson previously claimed he was “rooting” for Russia and described Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky as a dictator.
It has been reported that the American commentator could interview the Russian President.