The Russian opposition figure and anti-corruption activist Alexei Navalny announced his intention to run for President of Russia in the 2018 election on 13 December 2016. The primary themes of his campaign have been focusing on domestic issues, including combating corruption in Russia and improving the economy. Commentators noted that Navalny's campaign was unprecedented in modern Russia as politicians usually do not start campaigning until a few months before the election.
Navalny began openly campaigning for the presidency before the official registration for the elections occurred in spite of court proceedings against him in a fraud case, which could bar him from running since the Russian election legislation deprives certain criminals of eligibility. In February 2017, a district court in Kirov upheld his suspended sentence despite the European Court of Human Rights siding with Navalny. In May, the deputy chief of the Central Election Commission commented that Navalny will not be allowed to run. Navalny and his staff said that they will appeal to the ECHR and will continue campaigning to give the government no choice but to accept his candidacy.Kremlin critic Navalny can't run for presidency - election official. Reuters. Published 3 May 2017. Retrieved 3 May 2017.
He officially submitted his documents for registration as a candidate on December 24, 2017, and was rejected by the Central Election Commission the following day due to his conviction. Later that same day, December 25, Navalny called on his supporters to boycott the election in response.
Background
Alexei Navalny announced his intention to run for President of Russia on 13 December 2016 and since then has been traveling to cities throughout Russia to meet with supporters and open regional offices. He had first spoken about doing so in April 2013, and in September of that year, he had taken part in the Moscow mayoral election, in which he got 27% of the vote. Before that, he was one of the main leaders of the 2011 protests after the parliamentary election. As noted by Newsweek and the former Russian presidential administration adviser Gleb Pavlovsky,Tumakova, Irina, and Pavlovsky, Gleb (22 April 2017) «Навальный ударил, а Кремль залез в угол и плюётся». Fontanka.ru. Retrieved 30 April 2017. the campaign by Navalny was unprecedented in modern Russia as most candidates do not start campaigning until a few months before the election. His chief of staff Leonid Volkov stated that a part of the reason they started a year early was to raise support and to give the Russian government no choice but to let Navalny take part in the election in spite of ruling regarding the Kirovles case.Leonid Volkov's statement — via Facebook. Posted 3 May 2017. Retrieved 3 May 2017. The primary focus of Navalny's campaign is combating the corruption within the current government under Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev.Bennetts, Marc (17 April 2017). Alexei Navalny: Is Russia's Anti-Corruption Crusader Vladimir Putin's Kryptonite?. Newsweek. Retrieved 30 April 2017. In mid-April 2017, Navalny was endorsed by the exiled oligarch Mikhail KhodorkovskyExiled opposition figure supports Putin foe Navalny for presidency. Gulf Times. Published 16 April 2017. Retrieved 2 May 2017. and the liberal People's Freedom Party leader Mikhail Kasyanov as an alternative to incumbent President Vladimir Putin.
Legal case
Concerns about Navalny's participation in the elections include the "Kirovles case", when in 2009, according to investigators, Navalny ordered a local businessman to create an intermediary company then persuaded the administration of the local Kirov Oblast corporation Kirovles to sign a deal with the new company on unfavorable terms. Kirovles allegedly lost millions of dollars while the middleman company made a profit. The investigation lasted until 2013 at which point he was given a five-year prison sentence, which was suspended with a 500,000 ruble fine. In November 2016 the Russian Supreme Court annulled the sentence and returned the case to the Leninsky District court in the city of Kirov for a retrial. In February 2017, the district court ruled to uphold Navalny's sentence despite pressure from the European Court of Human Rights, which sided with Navalny.Human Rights Court Says Navalny Unfairly Convicted In 'Yves Rocher Case'. RFE/RL. The issue may block Navalny from participating in the elections as Russian law does not allow criminal offenders to run for office,Russian Activist Navalny Given 5-Year Suspended Sentence in Kirovles Retrial. The Moscow Times. Published 8 February 2017. Retrieved 2 May 2017. and after the retrial both Vyacheslav Volodin, speaker of the State Duma, and Medvedev's spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that he will probably not be allowed to run.
Navalny argued that the Constitution of the Russian Federation only prevents those who are in prison and those who are legally unfit from taking part in elections and believes that he is still legally able to run.Grobman, Ekaterina (21 March 2017). How Russia is preparing for the 2018 presidential elections Russia Direct. Retrieved 2 May 2017. In February he stated "It says clearly in the constitution that only those who are in prison are banned. So I am not banned. For now."Rainsford, Sarah (9 February 2017). Alexei Navalny: Russian opposition leader vows to continue fight. BBC. Retrieved 2 May 2017. He also said that "What we have just seen is a telegram of sorts from the Kremlin, saying that they consider me, my team and people whose views I represent too dangerous to be allowed into the election campaign." Navalny and his supporters also accuse it of being a political case, though the Russian government denies it. Leonid Volkov, his chief of staff, said that the presidential campaign will continue and that they will appeal to the European Court of Human Rights.Yegorov, Oleg (3 May 2017). Russia's opposition figure ‘cannot run for president’. Russia Beyond the Headlines. Published 3 May 2017.
The cases are widely believed to be fabricated in retaliation for his political activity. The Memorial Human Rights Center recognized Navalny as a political prisoner.
Campaigning
Since opening his first campaign office in Saint Petersburg in February 2017, Navalny plans to open at least forty offices across the country by the end of May, later increasing the number to over seventy. He has been traveling to different cities rather than focus on a few larger ones, unlike many other Russian politicians. In early April, his chief of staff Leonid Volkov stated that Navalny will continue his campaign despite the Leninsky District court upholding his five-year sentence for the Kirovles fraud case,Russian opposition leader Navalny to campaign despite ban. USA Today. Published 6 April 2017. Retrieved 2 May 2017. and that Navalny intends to appeal against the ban from running.Nataliya Vasileyevna and Vladimir Isachenkov (8 February 2017). Court bars Russian opposition leader from presidential race. Associated Press. Retrieved 2 May 2017. He personally visited many of the locations for the opening ceremonies of the local campaign offices where he met with and spoke to his supporters. In April 2017, it was reported that Navalny's campaign staff collected more than 300,000 signatures from people across 40 regions of Russia electronically. More than 75,000 people signed up to volunteer for his campaign and nearly $700,000 has been donated.Rothrock, Kevin (25 April 2017). How Alexey Navalny Abandoned Russian Nationalism. Global Voices. Retrieved 1 May 2017.
March 26 protest
In March 2017, the Anti-Corruption Foundation led by Navalny published a documentary video on YouTube titled He Is Not Dimon to You, in which he stated that Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev possessed large properties which he obtained with bribes from oligarchs and bank loans through non-governmental organizations. The video gained tens of millions of views, but the Medvedev government ignored it and did not make any response. As a result, Navalny called for mass rallies on March 26 to protest against this. Tens of thousands of people reportedly took part in the protests on that day, with rallies being held in dozens of cities across Russia (including Moscow and Saint Petersburg), using social media to organize and reportedly including large numbers of young people. After the protests, Medvedev's approval rating fell and the number of people stating in polls that they would vote for Navalny rose.Lincoln Pigman (8 April 2017). The Kremlin Strikes Back. Fair Observer. Retrieved 2 May 2017. Navalny was jailed for several days afterwards for disobeying orders from the police,Russia jails protests leader Alexei Navalny for 15 days. BBC. Published 27 March 2017. Retrieved 2 May 2017. along with somewhere between five hundred to one thousand other demonstrators. He called for more demonstrations to take place on June 12, which is the national holiday Russia Day.Russia's Navalny Calls For New Protests On June 12. Radio Liberty. Published 12 April 2017. Retrieved 2 May 2017.
Attacks on Navalny and others There have been several instances of sabotage by unknown assailants that Alexei Navalny describes as being pro-Putin activists. In April 2017 he was splashed with the alcoholic solution of brilliant green twice, on one occasion having no major effect while on the second occasion one of his eyes was damaged by chemicals, causing some loss of vision. The police have not captured the attacker although an investigation was opened.Kramer, Andrew (2 May 2017). Kremlin Critic Aleksei Navalny Says Attack Left Him Mostly Blind in an Eye. The New York Times. Retrieved 2 May 2017. Acts of sabotage have taken place against other members of the campaign as well. In March, in the city of Tomsk, the doors to the apartments of several local campaign coordinators were glued shut with inflatable foam, while their cars were also vandalized. In the middle of the opening speech being given by Navalny police arrived and told everyone to evacuate the building due to a bomb threat.Ragozin, Leonid (27 March 2017). Inside Alexei Navalny’s Long-Shot Bid to Beat Putin. Bloomburg. Retrieved 2 May 2017.
After the court ruling Navalny and his team stated on 3 May 2017 that they will be continuing their campaign despite the regional court in Kirov upheld his sentence and potentially barring him from taking part in the election, with the intention of building up support and making the Russian government allow him to participate. On 23 June 2017, the Central Election Commission stated that Navalny can not run for the presidency because of his past conviction. Navalny was detained on 12 June 2017 prior to an unauthorised demonstration in Moscow which was to coincide with Russia Day, and then sentenced to 30 days in jail, which was subsequently reduced to 25 days.Навальный хочет провести несанкционированные акции в день рождения Путина
Autumn, third arrest
In October 2017, Navalny was detained in Moscow and then sentenced to jail time for the third time since launching his campaign, this time for organising a campaign event in Nizhny Novgorod. The event was initially agreed by the Nizhny Novgorod administration, however later permission was withdrawn. Navalny said that he had been arrested in order to prevent him from participating in future campaign events, including one planned for October 7 (Putin's birthday) in Saint Petersburg (Putin's hometown).
On 4 October Navalny called for mass demonstrations to be held on October 7 in 80 cities throughout Russia. The aim of these protests was to demand real political competition in Russia and that Navalny is granted access to the elections.
Registration and official rejection