- cross-posted to:
- europe@feddit.de
- cross-posted to:
- europe@feddit.de
Boris Nadezhdin has become a dilemma for the Kremlin as he seeks to run in the March 17 presidential election. The question now is whether Russian authorities will allow him on the ballot.
The stocky, bespectacled 60-year-old local legislator and academic has struck a chord with the public, openly calling for a halt to the conflict in Ukraine, the end of mobilizing Russian men for the military, and starting a dialogue with the West. He also has criticized the country’s repression of LGBTQ+ activism.
“The collection of signatures has gone unexpectedly well for us,” Nadezhdin told The Associated Press in an interview Wednesday in Moscow. “We didn’t expect this, to be honest.”
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Too bad he‘ll fall out of a window anytime soon
Nah man, this guy will only get like 32% of the vote and Putin will get 119%.
Having accidentally shot himself twice in the back of the head.
“He was shot twice in the back of the head with a double barrel shotgun - worst case of suicide the sheriff had ever see “ -can’t remember where I heard this.
Gary Webb?? (journalist that wrote about Iran-Contra)
Even in the Far East city of Yakutsk, 450 kilometers (280 miles) south of the Arctic Circle, Nadezhdin’s team said up to 400 people a day braved temperatures that plunged to minus 40 Celsius (minus 40 Fahrenheit) to sign petitions.
this is pretty amazing, the guy’s party doesn’t even have seats in Parliament, and he might run against Putin
Exiled opposition activist Maxim Katz said on YouTube that whatever the outcome, Nadezhdin’s candidacy shows “there is one thing we know right now: Conversations about civic apathy in Russia are very far from reality. What we have is not civic apathy but a civic famine — an enormous hidden potential.”
that’s a great quote, i like this guy
Good thing Putin allows free and fair elections and never does anything really, really bad to people who try to run against him, isn’t it?
all the snide comments about “business as usual in Russia” are old, and not funny… this situation is clearly different for a lot of reasons… i don’t know if Putin can do as much about this as he normally could…
The cynic in me tells me this guy is used to gauge how widespread those ideas are within Russia, providing interesting intelligence to Putin.
He’s a foil intended to prove that Russian ‘elections’ are indeed fair, that people do have a choice and that Putin will commit to the mandate given to him.
I think the gauging might be part of the reason too.
But Putin is very sly and careful around dissenters. There’s a reason Navalny isn’t dead. He’s careful not to create a martyr.
He tried and failed to kill navalny once.
And after that he changed his mind
They’ll put him on trial for some bogus charges and throw him in jail. Just standard procedure.
The question now is whether Russian authorities will allow him on the ballot.
The elections are rigged anyway.
But they need seemingly legitimate opposition that doesn’t really threaten them.
It doesn’t matter if the election is rigged or not. It is all about appearances. Even though everyone with a half a brain knows what’s going on.
I was explaining why it’s not a dilemma for the Russian government. You wrote “But…” and then made no counter argument, so I don’t see what you’re trying to say.
How long before he’s offered some extra spicy tea?
Eventually making a martyr out of your political opponents backfires.
It’s probably why Navalny is still alive.
You kill your sycophants that pose threats, but you arrest and routinely provide proof of life of your political opponents.
Yea, worst case he’ll probably get the cell next to Navalny
Or a walk by an open window?
Somehow from the headline I imagined something different. I somehow imagined a little Putin. Basically someone playing the game so hardcore on purpose that it is obvious that he is faking all of his public opinions. But by pretending to be anti-LGBT, pro war, etc, he would avoid all the possible made up claims of foreign agent, being anti-Russia, etc. So they would have to find some other reason to disqualify him. Imagine they’d not be able to find one and not kill him off and he would actually have to run in a DeSantis vs Trump like manner. And if he won he’d just break all his election promises. Stop the war, paint everything in rainbows, change the constitution back.
I mean I know that’s bs but that’s where my mind went and I want to keep it there for just 5 more minutes.
New law, all windows above the third floor must remain open for fire safety until the election.
Anyone want to take bets on how long it’ll take for this guy to end up falling out of a building or get into a plane crash?
Never. Zero need to.
I’m sure the list of voters would be valuable to the current government. Its a list of those who oppose the status quo
Isn’t voting in Russia anonymous?
I was referring to the collection of signatures.
