Once again, it appears that one of Putin's pro-peace opponents will not be allowed to run in the presidential election. Initially, it was single mother of three, Yekaterina Duntsova, who was denied due to errors in her application documents. Now, it's the turn of the otherwise popular Boris Nadezhdin, who, like Yekaterina Duntsova, seeks to stop the war.
In the latest developments surrounding Russia's presidential election, Boris Nadezhdin's candidacy faces a major hurdle. The scrutiny of his submitted signatures revealed a defect rate of 15.348%, a figure that significantly exceeds the permissible limit. This rate is threefold higher than the acceptable threshold, casting a shadow over his potential inclusion on the ballot.
Igor Artemyev, a member of Nadezhdin's campaign team responsible for gathering signatures, shared the disappointing news.
"The commission meeting concluded, and the documents were confiscated. We found a 15.348% defect rate, leaving us two sleepless nights ahead. To qualify for the ballot, the defect rate among the 60,000 verified signatures must not exceed 5%," Artemyev disclosed on his Telegram channel.
Dead People's Signatures
The Central Election Commission (CEC) is slated to convene on February 7 to deliver the final verdict on Nadezhdin's campaign. At this meeting, the team will be formally notified of the inspection outcomes.
Adding to the campaign's woes, Nikolai Bulaev, Deputy Head of the Central Election Commission, raised concerns that Nadezhdin might have submitted signatures of deceased individuals. Bulaev noted the presence of signatures from several dozen individuals who are no longer alive among the submitted documents. Furthermore, on January 31, the Central Election Commission raised questions regarding the total number of submitted sheets, as reported by RT.
Currently, eight candidates are officially participating in the election race, leaving Nadezhdin's candidacy in jeopardy due to the significant signature discrepancies. This development underscores the stringent verification process and the challenges faced by candidates aspiring to challenge the status quo in Russia's political landscape.
