Reuters) – Russia’s election commission has rejected former television journalist Yekaterina Duntsova’s candidacy for next March’s presidential election due to “errors” in her registration, her campaign team said on Wednesday. Telegram messaging.
The decision comes just three days after Ekaterina Dountsova, 40, applied for registration with the electoral commission.
She had planned to run on a platform to end the war in Ukraine and free political prisoners.
Russian media released a video in which members of the Central Election Commission could be seen voting unanimously against the candidacy of Ekaterina Duntsova during a meeting.
The former journalist’s campaign team subsequently posted documents on Telegram that, according to the commission, did not contain the proper signatures.
Vladimir Putin, in power since 1999 as head of state or government, is seeking a new six-year term at the age of 71 and is credited with around 80% of voting intentions, according to polls from ‘opinion.
The announcement last month by Ekaterina Duntsova of her desire to run for president sparked many reactions, with some commentators calling it crazy, courageous or even serving as an excuse for the Kremlin to show that dissident voices have the right to express oneself.
“Any sane person who would make this decision would be afraid, but fear should not prevail,” she said in an interview with Reuters in November.
(Written by Mark Trevelyan, French version Kate Entringer)
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