The choice is up to the people: Anatoly Nogovitsyn, former head of Navalny's Yakutsk headquarters, has been registered for the State Duma elections.
Anatoly Nogovitsyn, chairman of the Yakut branch of the Yabloko party and former head of the local Navalny Headquarters, has been registered as a candidate in the State Duma elections. He is running in the Yakutsk single-mandate constituency.
An anti-war program and an unexpected decision by the electoral commission
After the official approval of his candidacy, the regional politician publicly addressed voters, emphasizing the alternative nature of his program to the current political course.
"Now the choice is up to the people. There are candidates and parties in these elections who support continuing the current course. And there's the Yabloko party and myself, who openly advocate for Peace and Freedom, for an immediate ceasefire, and for the country's return to normal, peaceful life," Nogovitsyn said.
Therefore, the candidate called on citizens to support him and the party that nominated him, "so that the voice for Peace and Freedom can be heard as loudly as possible." Nevertheless, Nogovitsyn himself admitted that the election commission's decision came as a surprise to him. As a result, he had been prepared to challenge the potential rejection in court, as he had previously been subject to multiple administrative prosecutions—specifically, fines for "an unauthorized rally" and for "discrediting the army."
Regional Cases: Who Else is Running for the Yabloko Party
Additionally, another candidate with an anti-war stance has been registered in the Irkutsk region. Human rights activist Pavel Kharitonenko is running for the State Duma there, representing the Yabloko party.
In total, the party nominated 274 people on the federal list. In addition, another 137 candidates are running in single-mandate federal constituencies, some of whom are also included on the federal list.
Pressure on independent candidates and the elimination of the opposition
However, the election campaign is taking place under intense pressure on the opposition. For example, several Yabloko representatives dropped out of the race following a decision by the organization's congress, while other independent candidates continue to face systematic rejections from electoral commissions.
Specifically, Anton Gendrikson, Yabloko's Kaliningrad candidate, was arrested under a disqualifying charge of "displaying extremist symbols." Anna Cherepanova from Veliky Novgorod faced a similar charge. Furthermore, election commissions denied registration to party members running for the Legislative Assembly of St. Petersburg and the Petrozavodsk City Council.
