Russian anti-war activist files application to run for president.

Former MP Boris Nadezhdin, who opposed the war in Ukraine, has collected the required 100,000 signatures to register as a Russian presidential candidate.

Boris Nadezhdin and his assistants today delivered dozens of boxes labeled "Nadezhdin 2024" to the office of the Central Election Commission of Russia (CEC) in Moscow, containing 105,000 signatures from supporters, fulfilling the requirements for him to register as a presidential candidate.

"This is my team, everyone looks pale from getting very little sleep lately, but we did it," Nadezhdin told reporters, referring to the rule that Russian presidential candidates must collect at least 100,000 signatures.

Nadezhdin, 60, has 30 years of experience in Russian politics, including a brief stint as a member of the lower house of parliament. He recently attracted attention with his commitment to ending the Ukraine conflict if elected and is seen as a "challenger" to President Vladimir Putin in the March election.

The CEC must make a decision on Nadezhdin's eligibility to run for office within 10 days of receiving the application. During that time, the commission will verify the authenticity of the signatures provided.

Boris Nadezhdin speaks to the media after submitting his signature to the Russian Central Election Commission in Moscow on January 31. Photo: AFP

Speaking to the media at the election commission headquarters, Nadezhdin emphasized that all signatures were collected in Russia, in accordance with regulations, and did not include signatures collected abroad. He also said his campaign was entirely funded by tens of thousands of donations from "ordinary people."

"President Putin made a mistake in launching the special military operation in Ukraine," Nadezhdin said, adding that he would strive to end the hostilities through negotiations.

President Putin, 71, was officially registered as a candidate in the Russian presidential election to be held from March 15-17 on January 29, after meeting the requirements for a valid signature.

President Putin is the fourth person to have his candidacy confirmed by the CEC. The three previous candidates were Leonid Slutsky, leader of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR); MP Vladislav Davankov; and MP Nikolay Kharitonov.

Huyen Le (According to AFP , Reuters )

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