Russia officially bars opposition leader from staging rallies

Authorities in Russia have officially banned opposition leader Alexei Navalny from staging rallies in the country over what he says is a trumped up suspended prison sentence.

The decision by Russian authorities to ban the 41-year-old lawyer now puts an end to Navalny’s campaign to boycott the forthcoming elections which he says amounts to the rigged reappointment of Vladimir Putin.

“We want to tear Putin down from his pedestal,” Vladimir Milov, an economic adviser and one of Navalny’s allies, said in an interview. “Putin will get a formal victory, but we want to make it a pyrrhic victory. We want to use the election to show that he doesn’t have as much support as he claims.”

Read also: Russia blocks online probe by opposition leader on billionaire linked with Trump’s campaign team

Last December, the Supreme Court in Russia paved the way for Putin to return unopposed after it upheld election officials’ decision to bar 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 ban placed on him by the Central Election Commission, Navalny responded by calling for a boycott of the vote set for March.

RipplesNigeria… without borders, without fears

Click here to join the Ripples Nigeria WhatsApp group for latest updates.

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now