Current:Home > MarketsRussia approves 2 candidates for ballot against Putin in March election-InfoLens
Russia approves 2 candidates for ballot against Putin in March election
View Date:2024-12-23 16:03:57
MOSCOW (AP) — Russia’s national elections commission on Friday registered the first two candidates who will compete with President Vladimir Putin in the March election that Putin is all but certain to win.
The commission approved putting Leonid Slutsky of the nationalist Liberal Democratic Party and Vladislav Davankov of the New People Party on the ballot for the March 15-17 vote.
Neither poses a significant challenge to Putin, who has dominated Russian politics since becoming president in 2000. Both candidates’ parties are largely supportive in parliament of legislation backed by Putin’s power-base United Russia party.
Slutsky, as head of the lower house of parliament’s foreign affairs committee, has been a prominent backer of Kremlin foreign policy that is increasingly oppositional to the West. In the last presidential election in 2018, the party’s candidate tallied less than 6% of the vote.
Davankov is a deputy speaker of the lower house of parliament, the Duma. His party was established in 2020 and holds 15 seats in the 450-member Duma.
The Communist Party has put forth Nikolai Kharitonov as its candidate, but the elections commission has not formally registered him. Kharitonov was the party’s candidate in 2004, finishing a distant second to Putin.
A Russian politician calling for peace in Ukraine was rejected last month from the presidential ballot.
The elections commission refused to accept Yekaterina Duntsova’s initial nomination by a group of supporters, citing errors in the paperwork, including spelling. The Supreme Court then rejected Duntsova’s appeal against the commission’s decision.
Putin is running as an independent, and his campaign headquarters, together with branches of the ruling United Russia party and a political coalition called the People’s Front, have collected signatures in support of his candidacy. Under Russian law, independent candidates must be nominated by at least 500 supporters, and must also gather at least 300,000 signatures from 40 regions or more.
veryGood! (231)
Related
- Kansas basketball vs Michigan State live score updates, highlights, how to watch Champions Classic
- Llamas on the loose on Utah train tracks after escaping owner
- New Hampshire rejects allowing judges to serve until age 75
- Horoscopes Today, November 7, 2024
- Manhattan rooftop fire sends plumes of dark smoke into skyline
- 2025 Grammy Nominations Are Here: Biggest Snubs and Surprises From Beyoncé to Ariana Grande
- Where things stand with college football conference championship game tiebreakers
- Defense asks judge to ban the death penalty for man charged in stabbing deaths of 4 Idaho students
- Fire crews on both US coasts battle wildfires, 1 dead; Veterans Day ceremony postponed
- Sea turtle nests increased along a Florida beach but hurricanes washed many away
Ranking
- PSA: Coach Outlet Has Stocking Stuffers, Gifts Under $100 & More for the Holidays RN (up to 60% Off)
- The 2025 Grammy Nominations Are Finally Here
- Another Florida college taps a former state lawmaker to be its next president
- The 2025 Grammy Award nominations are about to arrive. Here’s what to know
- When does Spirit Christmas open? What to know about Spirit Halloween’s new holiday venture
- Llamas on the loose on Utah train tracks after escaping owner
- Democrats retain 1-seat majority control of the Pennsylvania House
- How Harry Hamlin’s Pasta Sauce Transformed Real Housewives Drama into a Holiday Gift That Gives Back
Recommendation
-
FBI offers up to $25,000 reward for information about suspect behind Northwest ballot box fires
-
Tia Mowry on her 'healing journey,' mornings with her kids and being on TV without Tamera
-
Mexico appears to abandon its ‘hugs, not bullets’ strategy as bloodshed plagues the country
-
Police search for missing mother who vanished in Wylie, Texas without phone or car
-
Patrick Mahomes Breaks Silence on Frustrating Robbery Amid Ongoing Investigation
-
Zac Taylor on why Bengals went for two-point conversion vs. Ravens: 'Came here to win'
-
Chiefs' deal for DeAndre Hopkins looks like ultimate heist of NFL trade deadline
-
2024 Election: Kamala Harris' Stepdaughter Ella Emhoff Breaks Silence on Donald Trump’s Win