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MOSCOW -- The face of Russia's opposition has seen a last-minute surge in the polls -- but distrust in the democratic process brought his supporters to the streets Friday ahead of Moscow's first mayoral election in a decade.
Lawyer-turned-anti-corruption blogger Alexei Navalny rose to prominence when he addressed a 100,000-strong protest after the parliamentary and presidential elections of 2011 and 2012 and accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of belonging to "a party of crooks and thieves."
The 37-year-old's campaign was launched days before he was sentenced to five years in prison for embezzlement after a trial he said was politically motivated. Navalny was able to continue with his mayoral bid after he was freed pending appeal, just a day after protests in Moscow and St. Petersburg alleging Putin was trying to silence him ended with 200 arrests.
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Keep an eye on this election, hell, keep an eye out for Putin's 'thorn in the side' nemesis Alexei Navalny. KGB Putin has a way of dealing with critics.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov suggested the effort by Navalny and his supporters to organize a boycott "ought to be carefully studied to see if they are breaking the law.'' "Appeals for a boycott, of course, are subject to very scrupulous examination of whether they comply with or contradict the law," he added. Navalny was banned this week from running in Russia's 2018 presidential election -- just one day after he submitted a candidacy petition.
Navalny hoped to challenge Putin, who's effectively ruled Russia for 17 years. The Russian president is seeking his fourth term, which would allow him to stay in power until 2024. Putin, 65, is widely expected to win the vote, becoming Russia's longest-serving leader since Joseph Stalin.
Alexei Navalny has been banned from running for the Russian presidency due to a past conviction.
Officials said Navalny was barred over a conviction earlier this year in connection to an embezzlement scheme. The opposition leader said he plans to appeal the ban. Russians convicted of a serious crime are not allowed to run for elected office for ten years. "Firstly, a citizen who has been sentenced to imprisonment for committing a grave or especially grave crime and who has an outstanding conviction for the said crime, has no right to be elected president of the Russian federation," election official Boris Ebzeev said.
After his ban was announced, Navalny called on Russians to boycott the March 18 vote. "I assure you, a huge amount of people will not go to this election, would actively boycott this election," Navalny said. "The procedure that we're invited to take part in is not an election. Only Putin and the candidates he has handpicked are taking part in it. Going to the polls right now is to vote for lies and corruption."
Kremlin: Banned opposition leader's call for boycott may break law
