Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has been thwarted in his bid to challenge President Vladimir Putin in the 2018 elections after he an electoral commission ruled him ineligible to stand.
The Central Election Commission (CEC) refused to register Mr Navalny as candidate in the 2018 presidential race, citing his criminal conviction in a controversial embezzlement case, which, according to Russian laws, precludes him from running for public office.
The chair of CEC Ella Pamfilova said there was nothing wrong with Mr Navalny’s application, but accused him of “fundraising illegally and brainwashing young people.”
Right after the vote Mr Navalny addressed his supporters in a video posted on his blog, where he urged them to boycott the election.
Mr Navalny, 41, is widely seen as the only serious opposition to Mr Putin, who will become the longest-serving ruler of Russia since Joseph Stalin, should he serve a fourth term.
