Russia's top court bars main contender of Putin from March election
Opposition leader Alexei Navalny asked supporters to boycott the upcoming election as the court decision allows Vladimir Putin an easy victory.
After facing arrest and restrictions on his rallies, opposition leader Alexei Navalny is up against the biggest challenge of finding a way to contest in Russian election.
Russia's top court on Saturday rejected an appeal by opposition leader Alexei Navalny against a decision to bar him from running in the country's 2018 presidential election.
The Supreme Court agreed with Russia's Central Election Commission that Navalny cannot register as a candidate due to a controversial embezzlement conviction, which the opposition chief says is politically motivated.
Opposed only by token candidates, Russian President Vladimir Putin is widely expected to win a fourth presidential term in the election, which take place in March.
Navalny's campaign team said it will ask the Supreme Court to reconsider its decision and will also file a complaint with the European Court of Human Rights.
"We understood that this would be a political decision. But we will continue to go through all the stages of appealing," said Navalny's lawyer Ivan Zhdanov.
Despite restrictions on his political campaign, Alexei Navalny has managed to pull thousands of young Russians to streets against Putin's government.
On Monday, Russia's Central Election Commission unanimously rejected Navalny's bid to run against President Putin.
Navalny, who has campaigned across Russia in recent months, argues that his conviction was lifted in the European Court of Human Rights, and that banning him from participation would make election illegitimate.
The ban prompted the 41-year-old opposition leader to call for a boycott of the election.
In a tweet following the Supreme Court ruling, Navalny repeated his call for Russians to shun the vote: "We do not recognise elections without competition."
Navalny's supporters defied a ban and came out for a rally on October 7, Vladimir Putin's birthday.
He has built a sizeable campaign through his blog and YouTube channel on an anti-corruption platform and has held several mass rallies across Russia this year that saw a high number of young people participate.
Navalny has called on his supporters to take to the streets again on January 28 following the ban.
Putin has been in power since 1999 and a victory in March would extend his rule until 2024, making him the longest serving Russian leader since Josef Stalin.
The president and other top Russian officials do not refer to Navalny by name.
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