Russian Electoral Committee Disqualifies Anti-War Candidate Yekaterina Duntsova From Presidential Election (image @IlyaMatveev)
Yekaterina Duntsova, former TV journalist, was disqualified as a candidate for Russia’s next President, preventing her from competing against Vladimir Putin on a platform which is in opposition to the war in Ukraine. The disqualification came as the members of central electoral committee unanimously voted in favour of rejecting her candidacy by citing “numerous violations” in the papers she submitted seeking support for her bid.
Critics of the current President of Russia, Vladimir Putin commented on the issue and said that the decision clarifies that no one with a genuine opposition stand would be allowed to stand against Putin in the Presidential election that ill take place in March, 22 months since Russia’s war with Ukraine has started.
Kremlin says Putin will continue hold power as opinion poll rating show that around 80 percentage of the population supports Putin. The 40-year-old Yekaterina Duntsova said that she would challenge the decision to disqualify her in the Supreme Court. She called the move unjustified and undemocratic. She said the political decision is depriving the opportunity to express views different from the official aggressive discourse.
Anastasia Burakova, rights activist and a lawyer commented on the disqualification and said that the move shows how the authorities are determined that “not a single competitor who could cast a shadow on support for Putin and the should be in the public””.
Putin is the longest-serving Russian president after Joseph Stalin, having ruled the country since 1999, shortly after Boris Yeltsin left office. He has surpassed Leonid Brezhnev’s 18-year record. Vladimir Putin, who is 71-year-old, seems to be in full control of Russia. Supporters and opponents alike in say Putin will yield a new six-year term, by completing which he would become Russia’s longest serving leader since the 18th century, outlasting every other soviet leaders including Joseph Stalin.
The election is being held as Russia continues its war against neighbouring Ukraine, a situation that has created havoc similar to what former Kremlin Chief Mikhail Gorbachev faced when he assumed office while the Soviet Union was splitting up into different states.
The Ukraine war has triggered Western sanctions against Russia, which have had an unprecedented impact on the country’s economy. Putin, who is 71 years old, has reportedly been experiencing serious health problems, although the Kremlin has denied these reports as mere rumors.
