Russian Election Authorities Disqualify Pro-Peace Presidential Hopeful Boris Nadezhdin Over Alleged Signature Errors
In a surprising turn of events, Russian election authorities have disqualified pro-peace presidential hopeful Boris Nadezhdin from the upcoming March election. The decision was made due to alleged errors in his endorsement signatures, marking a rare challenge to the tightly controlled election process in Russia. While President Vladimir Putin is expected to win a fifth term, Nadezhdin’s campaign has garnered significant support from thousands of Russians who lined up to endorse his pro-peace bid in recent weeks.
The Kremlin, although initially dismissing Nadezhdin as a rival to Putin, gave the order to reject his candidacy. According to two Russian officials involved in organizing the presidential election, the Kremlin was taken aback by the lines of support seen on the streets of Russian cities. One official stated, “The fact that we saw lines of support on the streets of Russian cities was an unpleasant surprise for the Kremlin. After that, participation in the election was a foregone conclusion.” The Kremlin believed that Nadezhdin’s campaign could “revitalize” the election and make Putin’s victory more exciting. However, these lines of support ended up irritating senior Kremlin officials who wanted only one politician, Putin, to be publicly loved by the people.
Nadezhdin’s campaign had submitted 105,000 signatures to the Central Election Commission (CEC), as required by Russian law for candidates running from a party without representation in parliament. However, the CEC later found that 15% of these signatures contained flaws, including “dead souls” and invalid signatures. A slideshow presented at the CEC’s live session revealed 9,147 invalid signatures out of a randomly selected 60,000 signatures. Only 63 signatures were proven to be valid by Nadezhdin’s campaign, far below the required number to register as a candidate.
The decision by the CEC to disqualify Nadezhdin was met with disappointment and frustration. Nadezhdin plans to appeal the decision with Russia’s Supreme Court, although experts believe his appeal stands “almost no chance” in court. Stanislav Andreychuk, a board member of the independent election watchdog Golos, stated, “It’s impossible to challenge the conclusions of handwriting experts, [who verify endorsement signatures]. You have to take their word for it.” This process of verifying signatures has been criticized for arbitrarily denying registration and depriving candidates of their right to effective judicial protection.
During the CEC session, Nadezhdin requested a postponement of the signature review to allow his team more time to sort through the errors. However, CEC chief Ella Pamfilova declined his request. After the unanimous vote to bar Nadezhdin from running in the March race, Pamfilova encouraged him to create his own political party, acknowledging his promising political outlook.
Russian election laws have faced criticism for providing authorities with ample opportunities to arbitrarily block potential candidates from running for office. Andreychuk highlighted that the process of collecting signatures has become increasingly difficult in recent years, increasing the chance of rejection on arbitrary grounds. Despite the expected failure of Nadezhdin’s appeal, some analysts argue that it is still important for him to utilize all available channels to show his supporters that he will not be blocked from running without a fight.
Nadezhdin’s surge of support over the past month has been remarkable. His campaign manifesto positions him as a principled opponent of the current president’s policies and emphasizes his opposition to unjustified use of military force against other countries. Thousands of pro-peace Russians endorsed his election bid, hoping to safely express their opposition to the war in Ukraine. Political scientist Yekaterina Schulmann noted that even in tightly controlled political systems like Russia, it is crucial to create an impression and show the demand for an alternative candidate. However, she also acknowledged that the actual result of the election remains firmly in control of the organizers, making it impervious to influence by citizens.
As the election campaign is not officially over, Nadezhdin still has some room for maneuver. Schulmann raises questions about his next steps, such as whether he will call on his supporters to take some form of electoral action or try to transfer his potential votes to one of the registered candidates. Meanwhile, another non-parliamentary hopeful, Sergei Malinkovich, was also disqualified during the same CEC session.
The CEC has officially registered four candidates for the March presidential race: President Vladimir Putin, Leonid Slutsky of the far-right Liberal Democratic Party, Nikolai Kharitonov of the Communist Party, and Vladislav Davankov of the New People party. The disqualification of Nadezhdin and Malinkovich highlights the challenges faced by those outside the established political system in Russia. Despite these setbacks, Nadezhdin’s
