Election officials in Russia recently uncovered issues with the filed paperwork of Boris Nadezhdin, a leading opposition politician, known for his anti-war stance. The announcement was made shortly after Nadezhdin submitted signatures of over 100,000 supporters for his candidacy in the upcoming March elections. The news arrived just two days post the politician’s formal appeal to be registered as a candidate for the presidential run.
Over the past few weeks, Nadezhdin had gained reputation as a pro-peace figure in Russia. After obtaining ample support for his nomination, he remarked, “My nomination was supported by hundreds of thousands of Russian citizens around the world. And they signed not so much for me, but for themselves and for the future of their children – people saw an opportunity to legally speak out for peace and support democratic values.”
Nikolai Bulaev, the Deputy Chairman of the Central Election Commission (CEC) of Russia stated that errors were discovered in the applications from Boris Nadezhdin as well as the nominee from the Communists of Russia party, Sergei Malinkovich. A serious claim was that some of the signatures were alleged to be from deceased persons. Bulaev expressed that the existence of “dozens, and more than a dozen people who are in this world no longer,” posed grave questions on the integrity of the ethical standards employed by the signature collectors. He went on to mention that “to some extent, the candidate is directly involved in this.” Bulaev has invited Nadezhdin to a meeting to discuss the observed discrepancies.
In response to the claims, Nadezhdin, while not directly addressing the allegations, claimed, “You and I are more alive than all the living. If someone sees dead souls in my subscription lists, well, friends, these questions are not really directed at me. It’s more like going to church, to an exorcist.”
This information was first reported on JURIST – News.