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Court rule on Russian opposition leader paves way for Putin to return unchallenged as president

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Court rule on Russian opposition leader paves way for Putin to return unchallenged as president

The Supreme Court in Russia has paved the way for President Vladimir Putin to return unopposed after it upheld election officials’ decision to bar opposition leader Alexei Navalny from running for president in the forthcoming election scheduled for March 2018.

Navalny’s appeal against the Central Election Commission’s move, was rebuffed by the Supreme Court which ruled that the decision to fully ban him from the presidential race is constitutional.

Reacting to the the ban placed on him by the Central Election Commission, Navalny responded by calling for a boycott of the vote set for March.

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He also repeated his call for a “voters’ strike” after Saturday’s court ruling.

“We don’t acknowledge elections without competition,” he said on Twitter.

The Supreme Court’s ruling now sets Putin on the path of easily securing a fourth term in office next year even as his approval ratings top 80% percent back home in Russia.

 

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