A different kind of reminder
Navalny calls for people to stand in line against Putin
February 1, 2024, 3:18 p.m
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Alexei Navalny is issuing a special kind of election call: The imprisoned opposition figure is calling on Russians to go to the polling stations at the same time on March 17th at 12 p.m., thereby causing long queues. Navalny praises this as a “legal and safe” way of protesting.
Jailed Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny has called on his compatriots to protest against Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin in the presidential election in March. His supporters should go to the polls at the same time on election day and form lines there to express their protest against the Kremlin leader, Navalny wrote in a message that his team distributed on online networks.
“This could be a strong demonstration of the mood in the country,” said the Kremlin critic. “People lining up to protest against Putin.” In addition, this type of protest is “legal and safe” and cannot be prevented by the authorities, Navalny added.
In Russia, demonstrations against the government are consistently prevented by the security forces. Navalny’s proposed protest is scheduled to take place on March 17 at 12 p.m. The opposition politician demanded that his supporters vote for “all candidates except Putin.”
Navalny’s wife and some of his allies in exile support Kremlin critic Boris Nadezhdin, who wants to run against Putin. On Wednesday, Nadezhdin submitted the necessary number of signatures to be able to run against Putin. The electoral authority must now decide whether he should be admitted to the election.
Navalny’s sentence increased in the summer
The presidential election in Russia will take place from March 15th to 17th. Putin recently confirmed his candidacy and is expected to easily win a fifth term.
Navalny, currently imprisoned in a penal colony, is Putin’s harshest domestic critic. After a poison attack, for which he blames the Kremlin, he traveled to Germany for treatment. In January 2021, Navalny returned to Russia and was immediately arrested.
According to a verdict handed down against him in the summer, Navalny must serve his sentence in a colony with harsher prison conditions. These are usually only intended for life sentences and particularly dangerous prisoners.