Thousands queue in Russia to support war opponent Boris Nadezhdin Crazy flying: this is how storm ‘Isha’ disrupted British air traffic

The presidential candidacy of declared war opponent Boris Nadezhdin in Russia has unexpectedly received great attention. “We are currently collecting about 15,000 signatures per day,” Nadezhdin said in an interview on the YouTube channel Khodorkovsky Live on Tuesday.

Photos and videos on social networks showed long lines of citizens in several cities wanting to help the opposition politician run for office with their signatures. It is uncertain whether the Russian Election Commission will actually officially register him as a candidate. The election will take place on March 17.

According to Nadezhdin’s campaign website, his supporters had collected more than 100,000 signatures by Tuesday morning. Under Russian law, Nadezhdin needs 105,000 signatures collected in various regions by January 25 to continue his campaign for the elections. No more than 2,500 signatures from supporters are counted from one region.

The police disrupt the collection of signatures

According to reports, Nadezhdin has already found significantly more supporters in the metropolises of Moscow and St. Petersburg. But more and more videos of long queues are now appearing from other regions. People in Yekaterinburg, Krasnodar and Petrozavodsk filmed themselves queuing to support the liberal’s candidacy. Many Russians who fled abroad also signed Nadezhdin’s electoral list.

However, there have also been reports of disruptions in signature collection. Police in Petersburg, Novosibirsk and Obninsk briefly arrested the politician’s election workers.

War and Putin opponents

In his campaign manifesto, Nadezhdin is said to be positioning himself as a “principled opponent of the policies of the current president.” It also says he is against “unjustified use of military force against other countries” and in favor of “cooperation with Western countries.”

One supporter standing in line, according to the Moscow Times, said he decided to sign in the first place because “the candidate has promised to end the war if elected.”

The elections in Russia are accompanied by accusations of fraud and manipulation. In the past, the Electoral Commission has repeatedly refused to allow opposition politicians to run for office, alleging that citizen signatures they collected were incorrect. In December, for example, critic Yekaterina Duntsova was thrown out of the race before being officially registered. It is clear to observers that Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin will secure his fifth term in office this spring.

(lak/t-online)

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