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Navalny Says He Won't Recognize Presidential Election If He Is Not Allowed To Run


Russian opposition leader Aleksei Navalny
Russian opposition leader Aleksei Navalny

Russian opposition politician Aleksei Navalny says he will not recognize Russia’s upcoming presidential election if election officials continue to refuse to register him as a presidential candidate.

Speaking in the city of Kaliningrad on December 10, Navalny called on his supporters to back his nomination as a candidate. He also said he would not call on his supporters to vote for any other candidate.

Navalny, a foe of President Vladimir Putin, is campaigning for the March 18 vote despite repeated statements from the Central Election Committee that he cannot run because of a conviction in a financial-crimes case he says was politically motivated.

Putin announced on December 6 that he will seek a new six-year term in the vote. He is widely expected to win reelection.

Based on reporting by TASS, Interfax, AP, Reuters, and AFP

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