Kremlin challenger Boris Nadezhdin says he has collected enough signatures to stand as a candidate in Russia’s upcoming presidential election.
The former local councillor has become known for his relatively outspoken criticism of Mr Putin and of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The electoral commission must now review his application. If any “irregularities” are found with any of the submitted signatures, the commission can disqualify the candidate altogether. Independent politician Yekaterina Duntsova was disqualified from running in December when the electoral commission said it had found 100 “mistakes” on her form.
Current president Vladimir Putin has already registered as an independent candidate for the election in March, which will almost certainly see him win another six-year term.
Shortly after today’s deadline to hand in the signatures, Mr Nadezhdin posted a photo of himself standing in front of several boxes containing papers bearing the signatures of his supporters.
Thousands of Russians have queued in the cold across the country to add their signature to the list of people supporting his bid.
Credit: bbc.com
