Opposition leader and anti-war candidate Alexei Navalny has been blocked from running in the upcoming Russian presidential election. The country’s Central Election Commission cited a criminal conviction against him as the reason for his banning.
Navalny has been the leading opposition figure for many years and has long called for free and fair elections in Russia. His campaign focused on issues such as fighting corruption and ending the wars in Ukraine and Syria.
Navalny’s decision to stand in the election was seen as an effort to challenge incumbent president Vladimir Putin. However, his candidacy has been deemed ineligible due to a suspended three-and-a-half-year sentence from a 2014 embezzlement conviction, which the Russian government says makes him ineligible to run.
Navalny has accused the Kremlin of rigging the election, saying that they do not want a real competition in the vote. He and his supporters have vowed to continue to oppose Putin and his government despite the ban.
