Russian elections

Where’s Putin? President’s party pulls election disappearing act

Voters in Moscow go to the polls in a local election on Sunday, but when they examine their ballot papers, they won’t find a single candidate running on the ticket of President Vladimir Putin’s United Russia party.

Instead, more observant voters will discover United Russia members posing as “independent candidates” in an apparent bid to distance themselves from Putin’s increasingly unpopular party.

This is the first time since it was formed in 2001 that United Russia has failed to nominate — officially — candidates for the City Duma polls. Its logo, a bear, once ubiquitous in the run-up to elections, is conspicuously absent from campaign billboards. Opposition activists have defaced election posters for “independent” candidates affiliated to Putin’s party with stickers reading: “Caution! United Russia candidate.”

“It’s like a black mark against a candidate if they publicly acknowledge that they are a United Russia party member,” said Konstantin Gaaze, a political analyst at the Carnegie Moscow Center think tank. “This party is pretty dead.”

Russian elections

Russia election: Kremlin queries legality of boycott call

The Kremlin says a call by opposition leader Alexei Navalny for a boycott of the 2018 presidential election needs to be checked to see whether it is legal.

Mr Navalny's comments came after he was barred from competing in next March's vote because of a corruption conviction which he says is politically motivated.

The Kremlin's suggestion could be a hint of potential repercussions for Mr Navalny, correspondents say.

Meanwhile, President Vladimir Putin has been formally nominated as candidate.

Athletes, musicians, celebrities and others met in Moscow to form the 500-strong support group that independent candidates like Mr Putin require to be registered.

Mr Putin did not turn up to his nomination event with the Kremlin saying his agenda was too busy for him to attend.

Russian elections

Russian presidential election: Alexei Navalny barred from competing

Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has been formally barred from competing in next year's presidential election.

The Central Electoral Commission has said Mr Navalny was ineligible because of a corruption conviction which he says is politically motivated.

He has urged his supporters to boycott the March vote.

Mr Navalny, 41, was widely regarded as the only candidate with a chance of challenging President Vladimir Putin.

"We're declaring a strike by voters. The procedure that we're invited to take part is not an election," Mr Navalny said after the decision, adding that he would lead protests across the country.

Known for his anti-corruption campaign and protests against Mr Putin, Mr Navalny was given a five-year suspended sentence in a retrial earlier this year on embezzlement charges.

Russian elections

End of an era: Russian Communists trade veteran leader for farm mogul as 2018 presidential pick

Russian communists have settled on a surprise pick for its 2018 presidential candidate. Pavel Grudinin, 57, a farm mogul running a so-called “island of socialism,” will replace the party’s evergreen leader, Gennady Zyuganov.

It was widely expected that long-time leader Zyuganov, an ever-present who has only missed one presidential election since 1996, would again be the one to challenge the current head of state, Vladimir Putin. But the iconic leader of the Communist Party (KPRF) cleared up the issue, saying that Grudinin would be the party's only candidate. The new communist contender was subsequently backed by over 300 delegates, receiving just 11 “no” votes during a secret ballot at KPRF’s Congress Saturday.

Russian elections

United Russia party endorses Putin for president in upcoming election

The United Russia Party congress has decided to endorse Vladimir Putin for president in the election scheduled for March 2018. It also vowed to lend him “all possible support,” even though he will run as an independent.

...The Russian presidential election is scheduled for March 18, 2018. Apart from Putin, as many as 33 people have expressed their intent to run. This list includes the head of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia, Vladimir Zhirinovsky, the founder of liberal Yabloko party, Grigory Yavlinsky, the head of the pro-business Party of Growth, Boris Titov, and an array of minor politicians and celebrities.

The Russian Central Elections Committee has already issued the first registration certificate to Zhirinovsky. The Communist Party has nominated the head of a major agricultural enterprise, Pavel Grudinin, as its candidate at its party congress, which was also held on Saturday.