Although Putin's victory is seen as a foregone conclusion, Boris Nadezhdin's opposition to Russia's war in Ukraine has gained significant support.
Boris Nadezhdin, a prominent critic of the Kremlin, has submitted the necessary documents to register as a candidate for Russia's presidential election in March.
A 60-year-old local lawmaker who has promised to end Russia's war in Ukraine said on Wednesday that he had collected more than 100,000 signatures of support in 40 regions and submitted them and other documents to the Central Election Commission (CEC). Ta. This is technically enough to challenge President Vladimir Putin.
Election authorities will next confirm the authenticity of the signatures submitted by Nadezhdin and other potential candidates and announce next month who will join Putin on the ballot for the March 15-17 election. is.
Election authorities have disqualified some candidates in the past, alleging that the signatures and documents they collected were fraudulent.
Putin plans to run as an independent rather than as a candidate for the ruling United Russia party, and supporters say the petition requires 300,000 signatures, but has already collected more than 3.5 million.
In December, the 71-year-old incumbent announced his decision to seek an extension in power. He is almost certain to win a fifth term as president, extending his 24 years of leadership of Russia, including eight years as prime minister.
Nadezhdin, who criticized the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine as a “fatal mistake,” was born in Soviet-controlled Uzbekistan to a Jewish mother who was a music teacher and a father who was a physicist.
He has been involved in Russian politics for the past 30 years, serving as a deputy in the city of Dolgoprudny on the outskirts of Moscow. He plans to run as a candidate for the Civic Initiative Party.
He rose to fame by calling for an end to the war, drawing Russians from all over the country eager to sign his signature on the ballot.
Earlier this month, Nadezhdin said Russia could afford to spend more on its people without spending so much money on its military, after an unusually cold winter caused heating to be cut off across Russia.
In an interview with AFP news agency, he described the war as “catastrophic” and said he wanted to “free political prisoners” in Russia.
“This is something I'm proud of,” he said of the signatures he collected, thanking supporters in a statement posted on his official Telegram account.
“It's a job that thousands of people worked on for days without sleep. They lined up in the cold and the results show up in the box. For the CEC and the authorities, it's like, 'We didn't realize there was an elephant in the room.' would be very difficult.”
He also posted a video from CEC headquarters showing papers with signatures piled up on a table for inspection by authorities, and explaining which region each bundle came from.
Nadezhdin's bid raises questions about how far the Kremlin will allow him to go, at a time when speaking out against the conflict is politically difficult and critics are often jailed.
Putin has allowed no real opposition in elections during his 24-year rule, and rivals such as opposition leader Alexei Navalny have been jailed.
Navalny's wife Yulia signed an iconic photo posted by an ally of the imprisoned Nadezhdin in support of him.