In a put up on his Telegram channel, the anti-war candidate mentioned, “Will probably be very tough for the CEC and the present authorities to say, ‘I didn’t even discover the elephant!’” Nadezhdin wrote.
His long-shot presidential bid comes at a time when most Russian opposition figures are jailed or exiled. Nadezhdin’s anti-war stance has, nonetheless, nudged many Russians into backing his marketing campaign because the Kremlin continues to wage full-scale battle on Ukraine.
Lengthy strains of individuals prepared to assist the Putin critic have fashioned at his marketing campaign workplaces throughout Russia. Talking to POLITICO, Nadezhdin attributed his success to a “variety of miracles” — together with his volunteers’ actions and assist from influential Russian opposition figures in exile.
The CEC will evaluation the signatures submitted by hopeful candidates inside 10 days. Alexander Kynev, a Moscow-based unbiased political analyst, advised POLITICO he thought it was unlikely that Nadezhdin can be allowed to face for election, as that’s too huge a threat for the Kremlin.
Presidential campaigns in Russia are identified for the participation of so-called spoiler candidates whom Putin can simply knock down. This time, nonetheless, seems completely different because the spoilers drop out of the race one after the other even earlier than it begins.
Andrei Bogdanov, a veteran spin physician, submitted his papers on Wednesday — however then instantly introduced he wouldn’t run. Bogdanov, who beforehand ran for president in 2008 and gained 1.3 p.c of the vote, cited an undisclosed overseas checking account as the explanation for his withdrawal. Formally, this error bars him from the being on the poll.