NOSThe queue for signing an autograph for Boris Nadezhdin
NOS Nieuws•vandaag, 21:30
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Geert Groot Koerkamp
Correspondent Russia
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Geert Groot Koerkamp
Correspondent Russia
Thousands of people have been queuing across Russia for days to give their support to liberal politician Boris Nadezhdin, who wants to participate in the March 17 presidential election. For this he needs at least 100,000 signatures from all parts of the country.
The uncharismatic 60-year-old Nadezhdin is largely unknown to the general public, although he has been active in national and regional politics since the early 1990s. He has worked with various parties during his career.
But now he is the only potential candidate who openly speaks out against Russia’s actions in Ukraine.
Remarkable spectacle
This offers Russians who agree with this the opportunity to express their position legally and safely for the first time since the Russian invasion, simply by standing in line and signing. They have made massive use of this and it offers a remarkable spectacle.
Several people in line outside Nadezhdin’s campaign office in Moscow say when asked that they are there primarily for themselves, and also to see how many like-minded people there are. Even if Nadezhdin is not admitted to the race, this will demonstrate for the first time that many Russians do not support the Kremlin’s policies.
Criticizing what is called a ‘special military operation’ in Russia is prohibited. Since February 2022, more than 20,000 people have been arrested in anti-war protests. Many have been sentenced to years in prison for “discrediting” the Russian armed forces or spreading “fake news.” This often simply involved spreading or citing information that contradicted the official line.
AFPBoris Nadezdin
In December, Nadezhdin was admitted by the Central Electoral Commission to the pre-election phase. Regional politician and journalist Ekaterina Doentsova was denied this right because, according to the electoral commission, there were problems with the signatures she submitted for her first registration.
Doentsova, who has more than 300,000 followers on social media, unsuccessfully challenged the decision in the Supreme Court. She then stated that she wanted to support Nadezhdin. That so many Russians would respond to that call for support was nevertheless a surprise.
By January 31, Nadezhdin must have collected the necessary signatures in more than half of Russia’s regions. This may not exceed 2,500 per region, which means that Nadezhdin must gain sufficient support in at least forty regions. Even if that succeeds, many of his supporters have little confidence that his name will actually be on the ballot. This will not be known until mid-February, when the electoral commission has studied all submitted signatures and documents.
EPAPeople sign to support Nadezhdin
For Nadezhdin, the count has already passed 100,000, but the distribution across the country is uneven. His campaign team has therefore adjusted its ambitions and is now aiming for 150,000 signatures. This offers an additional opportunity to filter out ‘problematic’ signatures, for example where a digit from the passport number is missing or the address contains an error.
The still long queue in front of the Moscow office includes many people who are registered in other Russian regions. Russians abroad can also sign, for example in Amsterdam. All those signatures must be brought to Russia in time.
Other opposing candidates
Nadezhdin was nominated by a small liberal opposition party, which is not represented in parliament. Anyone who does not want to participate on behalf of a party, but as an independent candidate, must collect 300,000 signatures.
President Vladimir Putin has chosen that option to demonstrate that his candidacy enjoys broad support. According to Putin’s campaign team, 2.5 million signatures have now been collected for the incumbent president. But that has not led to long lines anywhere. Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov said today that the Kremlin sees no rival in Nadezhin.
Other candidates are 75-year-old Nikolai Charitonov (Communist Party), 56-year-old Leonid Slutsky (Liberal Democratic Party, previously led by Vladimir Zhirinovsky, who died in 2022) and 39-year-old Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Vladislav Davankov ( New People party). All these parliamentary parties are loyal to the Kremlin and often all vote with the Kremlin United Russia Party.
2024-01-24 20:30:46
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