Navalny Is Nominated by Hundreds to Challenge Putin for Russian Presidency
24, 2017
MOSCOW — Hundreds of supporters of the Russian opposition leader Aleksei A. Navalny nominated him for president on Sunday, allowing him to ready the endorsement papers required for candidacy
and putting pressure on the Kremlin to allow him to run.
The election authorities observed the endorsement process,
and Mr. Navalny’s representatives planned to file the nomination papers with the Russian Election Commission later Sunday.
Expressing confidence that he would win the presidential election if allowed to run, Mr. Navalny
called on his supporters to boycott the vote if the election authorities refuse to register him.
Svetlana Sorokina, 41, a biologist, said it was important to show the Kremlin
that "there are many people like us." Nearby, police officers warned the crowd through loudspeakers they were breaking the law and threatened to disperse the rally.
Mr. Navalny, one of the most formidable foes President Vladimir V. Putin has faced during 18 years in power, is prohibited from seeking political office
because of a criminal conviction that is largely viewed as retribution.
Election officials were expected to accept Mr. Navalny’s paperwork on Sunday, but it is highly unlikely
that they will allow him to proceed to the signature-gathering stage.