Russia on Saturday (Dec 23) rejected an application by presidential hopeful Yekaterina Duntsova calling for peace. The Central Electoral Commission, citing mistakes in the documents submitted by Duntsova, canceled the plea, reported Russian television.
The commission’s chief, Ella Pamfilova, released a statement saying that the members rejected Duntsova’s bid to stand in the elections to be held next year.
It further said Duntsova, who is a former journalist and city councilor campaigning “for peace and democratic processes”, could not move on to the next stage of assembling thousands of supporters’ signatures.
Pamfilova told her: “You are a young woman, you have everything ahead of you.”
She further said that at least 29 people had filed to run for the presidency in Russia.
The 40-year-old former journalist was asked to provide documents proving that a group of at least 500 people had held a meeting supporting her.
“A people’s initiative is not needed, is not welcomed,” Duntsova told journalists, saying she would not have time to file another application as an independent candidate.
She then took to her official social media account saying that she would file an appeal against the ruling with the Supreme Court.
Anti-war candidate
Duntsova submitted her application on Wednesday (Dec 20) to challenge incumbent President Vladimir Putin in the country’s upcoming elections in March 2024.
She had planned to run on a scaffold of ending the war in Ukraine and freeing political prisoners.
Duntsova, in an interview with Reuters last month, called for an end to the war and the release of political prisoners, including opposition leader Alexei Navalny.
“I feel a sense of accomplishment: We’ve done everything that we needed to do. We’ve made this step, and I think it should inspire people who support us,” said Duntsova, speaking to journalists in Moscow on Wednesday.
In her interview with Reuters, Duntsova avoided using the word “war” to describe the Russia-Ukraine conflict, which Putin calls his “special military operation”, but did acknowledge that she was afraid. “Any sane person taking this step would be afraid “But fear must not win.”
(With inputs from agencies)