He had spoken out for peace and, despite years of leading against the political opposition, he still had hope that Russia could “become more democratic” when last month he announced that he was going to run in the presidential elections to try to unseat Vladimir. Putin. But journalist Yekaterina Duntsova's dream, which was also accompanied by fear, ended on Saturday. The Central Election Commission disqualified his candidacy for the March 15, 16 and 17 elections, citing defects in his application to register.
That a pre-candidate with a position that does not clearly support the official policy on the conflict with Ukraine is rejected at the first opportunity gives ammunition to critics of the Kremlin, who assure that the power does not want there to be any real opposition to confront Putin and question the official truth.
Duntsova, born in Krasnoyarsk (Siberia) 40 years ago but living since she was a teenager in Rzhev (55,000 inhabitants, Tver Oblast, north of Moscow), where she works as a journalist and was a councillor, has not criticized the army or what is called here “special military operation” against Ukraine, thus avoiding being accused of discrediting the armed forces, a crime in Russia punishable by up to 15 years in prison. She but she has formed a platform that advocates for peace and the release of prisoners of war. Clearer, the water.
The decision of the members of the Central Election Commission was unanimous. “We have found errors in Yekaterina Duntsova's documents,” a representative of the agency said in a meeting broadcast live on the Internet. There were up to a hundred errors in the papers submitted by Duntsova, including typos in the first and last names of members of her support group, according to the Russian electoral authority.
Duntsova was one of the first candidates who last month announced her intention to run in the March elections, arguing that she wants “a prosperous democracy and a peaceful state” for Russia and that in the last ten years it has “moved in the wrong direction.”
According to the president of the Commission, Ella Pamfilova, currently 29 people aspire to become candidates for the presidential elections. The deadline to submit your documentation ends next December 27.
Only candidates backed by parties with representation in the Duma are guaranteed to be candidates. Among them, this week the ultranationalist Liberal Democratic Party has presented the candidacy of its leader, Leonid Slutski. And yesterday the Russian Communist Party designated as a candidate at its congress the veteran Nikolai Kharitonov (75 years old), who was already a candidate for the 2004 presidential elections, when he achieved second place with 13.69% of the votes compared to 71, 31% from Putin.
Candidates supported by other parties have to collect 100,000 signatures, and independents, 300,000, and then present them to the Commission before January 31.
Putin has led Russia since 2000, most of the time as president but four years (2008-2012) as prime minister. Today he has the support of several political parties. In addition to his own, United Russia, this Saturday Just Russia, in theory a consented opposition party, has also put himself at his service.
Its leader, Sergei Mironov, assured that Putin is today the leader "capable of solving the most complex political problems." Even so, the head of the Kremlin, who is seeking his fifth term as president, has decided to present himself as an independent. A popular initiative made up of personalities from politics, culture and sports will have no problems endorsing the candidacy. As it is also certain that he will have no problems being re-elected. The latest official polls give him support of 80%.
