The Russian Electoral Commission on Saturday ruled out the presidential candidacy of journalist and former municipal representative Ekaterina Dountsova, who campaigns for democracy and an end to the assault in Ukraine launched almost two years ago. The Commission cited “errors in documents” submitted by Ekaterina Dountsova for the registration of her candidacy, Russian television reported. The president of the Commission, Ella Pamfilova, declared that it had unanimously rejected the candidacy of this 40-year-old woman for the presidential election next March.
“You are a young woman, you have your life ahead of you,” said Ella Pamfilova, addressing the candidate. In front of the press, Ekaterina Dountsova quickly deplored a “sad” decision concerning “a popular initiative”. On Telegram, she announced her intention to appeal “tomorrow” to the Russian Supreme Court. “It’s not over,” she assured. In reality, however, this procedure should not succeed, any candidacy directly opposing the Kremlin’s policy having almost no chance of being authorized by the authorities.
“Thousands of lives depend on your decision”
Ekaterina Dountsova also asked the leaders of the small liberal Yabloko party to support her candidacy. “We cannot sit idly by! This is the last legal opportunity for citizens to express their disagreement with the policies pursued by the current authorities,” she urged on Telegram. “Russians must have a choice!”, she further argued.
“Thousands of lives depend on your decision,” she said. Furthermore, the president of the Electoral Commission indicated on Saturday that a total of 29 people had at this stage submitted a presidential candidacy file, including Vladimir Putin. The latter, in power since 2000 (after having been Prime Minister in 1999), is aiming for a new six-year mandate in the Kremlin, a formality as the opposition has been crushed in recent years with repression which has accelerated since the assault on Moscow in Ukraine in February 2022.