Yesterday, a meeting of the Central Election Commission was held, which considered the issue of not allowing Alexei Navalny to run in the presidential elections in the Russian Federation. By a unanimous decision of the CEC members (the resigned representative of the Yabloko party did not take part in the voting), it was established that Alexei Navalny would not be able to take part in the 2018 elections.

Even before the decision was made, Navalny was given the floor. Aleksey stood up to the podium, already fully confident that he would not be allowed in, and burst out in pleas to the members of the Central Executive Committee to let him in. Allegedly, the people are behind him, and the ECHR has canceled something there.

But this "scrape" (as Navalny himself later dubbed his speech) has nothing to do with reality. Navalny urged Ella Pamfilova to do the right thing, and she made the only right decision - to refuse registration in accordance with the law.

Accustomed to communicating with schoolchildren, the oppositionist hoped that fairy tales about the ECtHR would have an effect on respected members of the CEC. However, he was told: “Aleksey, why are you saying all this, you yourself perfectly understand that you cannot run for office.”

And Alex understands this very well. However, he continues to make himself a "victim of the regime" in the eyes of the thinning ranks of his supporters, operating on the decision of the ECtHR. Who is right in this situation?

Let's figure it out.

The ECHR overturned the court's decision.

A rather popular statement by Alexei Navalny that the European Court of Human Rights overturned the decision of the Russian courts in the Kirovles and Yves Rocher cases. See the case materials by hyperlinks.

Even if this was true, there is one big nuance. First, the decisions of the ECtHR are advisory and not binding. Secondly, the ECtHR does not have the right to cancel the decisions of Russian courts. Therefore, Navalny's thesis that the ECHR overturned the verdict is a priori incorrect.

The ECHR called for Navalny to be allowed before the elections.

Navalny also quite often says that the ECHR called for him to be allowed before the elections. From his words, it may seem that there is a clear quotation with an appeal in the decision of the ECtHR. However, there is nothing even approximately similar in it.

The case was fabricated.

Alexey Navalny constantly says that the ECHR confirmed the fact that the Kirovles case against him was fabricated. However, this is pure fiction. The judges refused to recognize the case as politicized. The European Court only proved that some human rights were violated during the trial and called for a review of the case, but did not declare Navalny's innocence, and even more so did not cancel the decision of the Russian courts.

The Constitution says that I can run for office.

A fairly common misconception of Alexei Navalny is the fact that, according to Article 81 of the Constitution, it is necessary not to be in prison in order to take part in presidential elections.

However, there is one big caveat here. Elections in our country are regulated not only by the Constitution, but also by the Federal Law “On Elections of the President of the Russian Federation”. Since the Constitution is the main (and not the only) law of the Russian Federation, therefore, there is a requirement that the Federal Law should not contradict the Constitution, but it can supplement it. Moreover, the Constitutional Court has repeatedly confirmed that Article 3 of the Federal Law. "The electoral rights of citizens of the Russian Federation during the elections of the President of the Russian Federation" clause 5.2.1.1 does not contradict the Constitution of the Russian Federation.

Outcome.

Throughout its so-called. election campaign, Alexei Navalny relied on conjectures and misinterpretations of laws in the hope that he would be allowed to participate in the presidential elections in the Russian Federation. But the CEC put an end to it, saying that they could not help Alexei Anatolyevich in any way, because he demanded the impossible from the Central Election Commission - to go against the law, as he himself once did. Law is law. And it should be followed. If Navalny had adhered to this simple truth before, perhaps now there would be no such problems.

The Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe decided that Russia did not fully comply with the decision of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in the case of Navalny and Officers v. Russia. The committee considered this issue at its meeting on September 21. The press service of the Council of Europe said that the committee of ministers calls for Navalny's access to the elections. Despite the decision of the ECHR, the authorities continue to infringe on the rights of the politician, the statement says, therefore, measures must be taken to eliminate the consequences of the court decision, in particular, the ban on Navalny from participating in elections. The Committee of Ministers decided to leave this issue under further control.

"The decision of the ECtHR is not executed, Navalny should be allowed to participate in the elections." And this is not me, but the Council of Europe. And he says this not because he wants to make a political statement, but because it is a formal procedure: the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe oversees the implementation of the decisions of the ECtHR,” the politician himself wrote on his website. He believes that the decision of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe means that the verdict is illegal, which means that he is "illegally disenfranchised and should be admitted before the elections."

The decision of the ECHR is binding, while the committee of ministers was created to monitor the implementation of these decisions, says Navalny's lawyer Olga Mikhailova: “There are quite a few cases that he takes into his proceedings. They took our business. Their resolution is just aimed at the fact that Russia is obliged to comply with the decision of the ECtHR. The court clearly wrote what exactly was violated, including that non-criminal actions were regarded as criminal. In the new consideration, all the violations that the ECtHR has already fully recognized were repeated.” The Committee of Ministers indicated that the decision was not implemented and that Navalny should be allowed to go to the elections, this case will be considered at the session in December, where Russia will have to report whether the requirement, which was both in the decision of the ECtHR and in this resolution of the committee of ministers, has been fulfilled, says Mikhailova: “They expressed their point of view. What the ECtHR and the Committee of Ministers say must be implemented by the states that have ratified the convention for the protection of human rights.” They have not yet filed a complaint with the ECHR against the new court decision, since the Committee of Ministers has adopted an appeal to consider the issue of non-execution of the decision, the lawyer adds: “For now, we are waiting for steps from Russia to properly execute the decision that has already been issued by the ECHR.”

The Ministry of Justice of Russia considered the decision of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe an attempt to "unfairly use the convention mechanism and the working bodies of the Council of Europe to exert political pressure on the Russian authorities in the upcoming electoral period." The ministry said in a statement that Russia provided "comprehensive information on the measures taken to implement the relevant judicial act." He pointed out that the applicants had been paid the compensation they had been awarded, and that the Supreme Court had quashed the conviction in the Kirovles case, a new trial had been held and a new conviction had been delivered. According to the Ministry of Justice, the secretariat of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe simply did not carefully study the materials submitted by the Russian side and did not analyze the measures taken by the state bodies and judicial authorities of Russia, executing the decision of the ECtHR. The decision of the Committee of Ministers indicates not only that it has gone beyond its competence, but also about the “politicized and biased” approaches to the arguments of the Russian side, the department believes.

The statement of the Ministry of Justice emphasizes that the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and the rules for supervising the execution of judgments and conditions of settlement agreements do not give the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe the right to consider and evaluate judicial acts that were not the subject of consideration by the ECtHR. A different approach, which was demonstrated in the case of Navalny and Ofitserov, is a discrepancy with the established practice of the ECtHR and the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, the position of the department says. The Ministry of Justice insists that it duly executed the ECHR ruling - reviewed the verdict and paid compensation.

The decision of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe is advisory in nature and is not a basis for Navalny's admission to the elections, lawyer Dmitry Agranovsky says: "Russia will be pointed out that, in the opinion of the Committee of Ministers, it has not carried out the decision correctly or not completely." The Council of Europe is calling for Navalny to be allowed to vote, but “they can call for anything,” he says: “Russia complies with its legislative norms, for a person who has an outstanding criminal record, there is a restriction on participation in elections. No one will change the law, but the Committee of Ministers does not demand this. Although, in my opinion, in its statement the committee of ministers went beyond its competence, because the decision regarding Navalny was implemented, it is another matter that it may not have been implemented in such a way. In his opinion, the only possible procedure was not to appeal to the committee of ministers, but again to complain about a new sentence, and in the new decision it would be possible to analyze whether Navalny's rights were restored or not, although they would not have had time to consider it before the elections.

The decisions of the ECtHR are binding, the decision on Navalny and Ofitserov was written in such a way that it could not be executed in such a way as to conduct a new trial and come to the same conclusions, lawyer Kirill Koroteev says: “Therefore, it is obvious that the decision of the ECtHR was not executed. The execution of the decision is the complete annulment of the sentence to Navalny and Ofitserov.” However, if the decision of the ECtHR is binding, then the decision of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe is “de facto easy to ignore,” he says: “Decisions of the committee of ministers are mild wishes. It's good that he made at least some decision, because usually he doesn't. In many cases they did nothing, as, for example, with the Yukos case. However, there is no way for the Committee of Ministers to include Navalny on the ballots.” There is only one solution in this case - the annulment of Navalny's sentence, he adds: " Cassation, supervisory complaints - all these remedies under Russian law, theoretically, can also end in the annulment of the sentence."

Alexei Navalny and businessman Pyotr Ofitserov received suspended sentences in 2013 for stealing timber from FSUE Kirovles for 16 million rubles. Under the electoral law, those convicted of serious crimes cannot be nominated for election within 10 years after the removal or cancellation of a criminal record. In November 2016, the Presidium of the Supreme Court overturned the sentence against Navalny and Ofitserov in the Kirovles case and sent the case back for a new trial. Thus, then the opportunity to run for president returned to him, and already in December Navalny announced the start of his campaign. The Supreme Court made this decision after the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in February 2016 satisfied the complaint of Navalny and Ofitserov. According to the ECtHR, the Russian courts found the applicants guilty of acts indistinguishable from normal business activities, did not provide a fair trial and did not consider their arguments about the politically motivated case. However, already in February 2017, the Leninsky Court of Kirov again sentenced Navalny to five years probation in the Kirovles case. Thus, Navalny was again deprived of his passive suffrage, since he was again convicted under a serious article. After the second sentence, Navalny's defense appealed to the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe with a request to study the Kirovles case.

Good afternoon dear friends! I was recently asked why Navalny can't run for president? To be honest, I also heard about it, but did not delve into it. Agree, with his popularity (and not everyone loves him, but some simply hate him), it would be nice to look at him as a candidate and opponent to Putin. On the other hand, in order to run for President, you must meet certain criteria. The most famous criterion is reaching the age of 35 years. I am silent about the fact that the candidate must be a citizen of the Russian Federation.

Let's figure it out together, is Alexei really not allowed to participate in the elections, why did this happen. Or maybe it's not true? After all, after all, there are some legal restrictions and criteria for candidates!

Related video:

Law and restrictions

Let's find out what restrictions are provided by law for presidential candidates. I will immediately make a reservation that the electoral legislation is subject to frequent changes. In addition, the electoral legislation is not always fair. So, for example, in some regions of our country, a system is used to determine the results of voting. This system is banned in many countries as unfair and disproportionate. The very fact of using such a vote counting system already indicates serious problems in the electoral system. But back to the presidential elections.

Elections of the head of state are regulated by the following normative acts: the Constitution of the Russian Federation, the Federal Law “On the Basic Guarantees of Electoral Rights and the Right to Participate in a Referendum of Citizens of the Russian Federation”, the Federal Law “On the Election of the President of the Russian Federation”. Other laws may also regulate the procedure and rules for conducting presidential elections. Thus, the election of the head of state can be regulated only by federal legislation.

What is written in the Constitution?

Article 81 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation establishes literally two criteria for presidential candidates:
A citizen of the Russian Federation not younger than 35 years of age who has permanently resided in the Russian Federation for at least 10 years may be elected President of the Russian Federation.

Article 32 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation stipulates that not have the right to elect and be elected citizens recognized by the court as incompetent, as well as those held in places of deprivation of liberty by a court verdict.

What is written in the electoral laws?

Not eligible to run:

  • a citizen declared incompetent by a court;
  • a person held in places of deprivation of liberty by a court verdict;
  • having citizenship of a foreign state, a residence permit or other confirmation of residence in the territory of a foreign state;
  • sentenced to imprisonment for a grave (plus 10 years from the date of removal or cancellation of a conviction) or an especially serious crime (plus 10 years from the date of removal or cancellation of a conviction) and who has an unexpunged and outstanding conviction as of the voting day;
  • convicted of committing a crime of an extremist orientation, and having, as of the voting day, an unexpunged and outstanding conviction for the specified crime;
  • brought to administrative responsibility under Article.Article. 20.3 and 20.29 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation;
  • a person who committed an action prohibited by the legislation on countering extremism, in the event that such a fact is established. The ban will be in effect for six years.

In addition, one cannot be president for more than two terms in a row.

Navalny's restrictions

It is known that the oppositionist is regularly brought to administrative or criminal liability and also regularly and successfully defends his own. Thus, if at a certain moment Navalny meets all the necessary criteria that are provided for by law, he will be able to become a presidential candidate.

I am currently aware of the following limitations:

  • The verdict in the “case of Kirovles” under Part 4 of Art. 160 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation for organizing the embezzlement of other people's property on an especially large scale. This crime belongs to the category of serious, respectively, the oppositionist will not be able to run for 10 years after the removal of a criminal record.

Let me remind you that there were two sentences in the Kirovles case. The first sentence was overturned by the Supreme Court after the decision of the ECtHR. The European Court indicated that the Russian court limited the oppositionist's right to a fair trial, the court did not investigate Navalny's statement about the political motive of the case. In addition, the ECHR indicated that the case was initiated after a direct order from the head of the TFR (in respect of which the oppositionist conducted an anti-corruption investigation) and that Navalny's actions did not differ from ordinary commercial activities.

  • The YvRoche case. Aleksei and his brother Oleg were accused of committing large-scale fraud and money laundering. Aleksey received a suspended sentence, and his brother - a real one, he was sent to prison. The offense is classified as serious.

An appeal was lodged with the ECtHR against the court's decision in the case. The European Court ruled that the brothers were deprived of the right to a fair trial.

conclusions

Thus, the following situation has developed. On the one hand, there are restrictions provided by the law on the election of the head of state, according to which Navalny will not be able to participate in elections for at least 10 years from the date of the removal of his criminal record. On the other hand, the “second” decision in the Kirovles case (it was adopted after the decision of the ECHR) copies the “first” decision, which seemed to have been adopted with violations of the Convention for the Protection of Rights and Fundamental Freedoms. And the decision in the “YvRocher case” was also made in violation of the Convention in terms of the right to a fair trial (the decision of the ECtHR).

Navalny refers to the Constitution, which says, what ndo not have the right to elect and be elected citizens held in places of deprivation of liberty by a court verdict. And he's not in prison..

Thus, it turns out, according to the oppositionist , there is a collision. The constitution restricts only persons in places of detention, and the law on presidential elections introduces additional expansionary restrictions unreasonably, since the constitution defines a complete list of persons who cannot run for office.

I believe that, in fact, Navalny will not be allowed to run for head of state on the grounds that he has a criminal record and it is necessary to wait for the period prescribed by law. However, I have some doubts about the constitutionality of such a provision. But this is already within the competence of the Constitutional Court.

As expected by many experts, the oppositionist Navalny was not allowed to participate in the presidential elections. Experts say that the current leadership of the country has chosen the option of a quiet campaign with predictable candidates. This is reported by the journalists of the "News of Russia" section of the online publication for business people "Market Leader" with reference to "RosBusinessConsulting".

Yesterday, the Russian Central Election Commission decided to refuse registration for the presidential elections of the founder of the Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK), Alexei Navalny. Ella Pamfilova, chairman of the commission, said that there were no complaints about the package of documents submitted by the initiative group. The reason for the refusal was the outstanding conviction of the failed candidate himself - in 2013, the oppositionist was sentenced to 5 years of probation in the case of embezzlement of the property of the Kirov State Enterprise Kirovles.

In 2016, following the relevant requirement of the European Court of Human Rights, the Supreme Court of Russia initiated a review of the case. In February of this year, the oppositionist was re-sentenced to a similar term. This means that Navalny will be able to run for president only in 2028.

Commenting on the decision, Pamfilova asked the politician if he believes that the CEC is within the competence of the removal of his criminal record. The head of the Central Election Commission also said that it would be in the interests of the commission to allow Navalny to run in the elections so that he would “gain a percentage corresponding to his popularity.”

On the eve of the day of the meeting, the opposition politician's team held a meeting of the initiative group on the beach in Serebryany Bor. During the meeting, Navalny's nomination as a candidate for the presidential elections was supported by 742 of those present. Navalny called on his supporters to boycott the elections if he was not allowed to participate in the electoral process, he repeated this request in his video message after the announcement of the CEC decision. The politician also promised to arrange an all-Russian protest against the decision taken by the commission.

Navalny's criminal record does not play any role - experts.

Sociologists from the Levada Center published the results of a survey in early December, during which they found out who voters plan to vote for in the presidential election if they are held next Sunday. Judging by the data of the study, Navalny, Sobchak and Mironov are ready to vote for 1 percent of voters, which is more than the level of support for Grigory Yavlinsky, who received less than 1 percent. Experts, meanwhile, are investigating the reasons for the CEC's decision.

Oleksandr Ivakhnik, employee of the Center for Political Technologies believes that in the situation with Navalny's non-admission to the elections, it is not the external reason that is important, which is the oppositionist's criminal record, but the internal motivation of the Kremlin. The expert is convinced that the authorities could "replay the decision" and allow the oppositionist to the electoral process, if they were really interested in "real intrigue."

Instead, the Kremlin chose a different scenario for holding elections - a non-conflict campaign. The country's leadership seeks to conduct the most on-duty company, without shocking. One of the reasons for the refusal to register Navalny, Ivakhnik calls the fact that, in the status of a candidate, an oppositionist would receive admission to federal television channels, and the Kremlin could not allow “criticism of the leader on federal television”. In addition, the alleged speeches of the oppositionist on federal channels could attract people who did not previously know about the politician's activities to the number of Navalny's supporters.

The expert calls the obvious fact that Navalny could hardly have won the election. Nevertheless, with the active work of the oppositionist, who is an effective organizer, Navalny could be supported by about 15 percent of voters. Ivakhnik recalled that in 2013 Navalny participated in the Moscow mayoral elections, where he took second place with the support of 27.2 percent of the vote.

According to the political scientist, to create intrigue in the election campaign, the Kremlin will use other candidates - Ksenia Sobchak and the Communist Party nominee director of the state farm named after Lenin Pavel Grudinin. Despite the fact that the TV presenter defiantly disagrees with the Kremlin on many issues, Sobchak promised that she would not criticize Putin. Grudinin is unknown to the general public, so he does not pose a serious threat to the main candidate.

Political scientist Alexander Kynev Navalny's non-admission is called a blow to the reputation of the elections, since the oppositionist is the only candidate who has been campaigning all year. According to the expert, Navalny managed to gather initiative groups for his nomination throughout Russia, and the non-admission will only contribute to the further "symbolization" of the founder of the FBK.

Nevertheless, without Navalny's participation in the elections, when traditional rivals (Vladimir Zhirinovsky, Gennady Zyuganov and Sergei Mironov) would remain the president's competitors, according to the political scientist's forecasts, it would be difficult for the authorities to count on a turnout of more than 60 percent. Therefore, in recent days, the country's leadership has tried to revive the campaign by the appearance of Pavel Grudinin in it.

Political consultant Dmitry Fetisov believes that the Kremlin has well studied all the possible risks associated with the alleged boycott of the elections initiated by Navalny, and did not see any threat in this prospect. Political scientist Abbas Gallyamov recalls that Ksenia Sobchak took part of the electorate from Navalny. Experts do not expect large-scale protests after Navalny was not allowed to vote.

Image copyright Valeriy Sharifulln/TASS Image caption Navalny is one of the most recognizable Russian oppositionists

Four months before the presidential elections in Russia, the Kremlin decided on the main intrigue of the election campaign: what will be the rivals of President Vladimir Putin. After months of non-public consultations, officials have decided that Putin's main opponent, Alexei Navalny, founder of the Anti-Corruption Foundation, will not be registered as a candidate.

This was reported to the BBC Russian Service on condition of anonymity by an interlocutor in the presidential administration, who took part in the discussion of scenarios, but was not authorized to comment on the media.

This is also confirmed by a BBC interlocutor close to the administration, also not authorized to speak officially. Ella Pamfilova, the head of the central election commission, also announced the impossibility of the politician to participate in the elections on Tuesday.

And so they will come

Putin has not yet announced his participation in the elections, but according to an October poll by the Levada Center, he is the undisputed number one candidate: 64% of those who are going to vote are ready to support him.

However, the Kremlin is concerned not with Putin's victory, but with turnout. Russians' interest in predetermined elections is declining: the turnout in the 2016 State Duma elections and the 2017 regional elections turned out to be quite low.

In order to legitimize the election results, increase turnout and create intrigue in the election campaign, the Kremlin discussed the possibility of allowing Navalny to run for election, Bloomberg wrote at the beginning of the year. Navalny is one of the most recognizable Russian oppositionists: according to a July poll by the Levada Center, 55% of Russians polled know about him.

Image copyright Sorokin Donat\TASS Image caption Navalny is conducting a campaign not coordinated with the Kremlin

Indirectly, the discussion of the likelihood of Navalny’s participation in the election campaign was also evidenced by the comments of the head of the Central Election Commission, Ella Pamfilova: in July, she said that Navalny had a chance to be registered if a miracle happened: the removal of his criminal record or urgent changes in laws.

  • "The presidential administration will not go to any tricks and tailoring the legislation to a particular citizen," says a BBC interlocutor in the presidential administration.

Now Pamfilova spoke more categorically. On Tuesday, speaking at the World Festival of Youth and Students in Sochi, the head of the CEC categorically stated that Navalny now has no right to participate in the upcoming elections. "Somewhere in 2028 plus five months," Pamfilova calculated when he could become a presidential candidate.

The decision not to allow Navalny has been made and it is unequivocal, a BBC interlocutor in the presidential administration said. The presence or absence of Navalny on the ballot does not affect the interest in the elections or turnout: they are in themselves interesting for voters, Gleb Kuznetsov, head of the EISI expert center close to the Kremlin, told the BBC.

“Why should someone come up with intrigue? All external intrigues and a set of participants interesting to the press does not affect turnout in any way. So-called referendum-type elections are usually held even with a higher turnout than competitive ones,” Kuznetsov summed up.

What prevents Navalny from moving forward

Alexei Navalny announced his intention to run for president back in December 2016. Since then, he has been actively campaigning: he opened 79 election headquarters in different regions of Russia (statistics from his election website) and held several protests with thousands of people. The headquarters are looking for supporters who will help Navalny register as a self-nominee: according to the law, he needs to collect 300,000 voter signatures.

  • In September, Navalny’s right to be elected was supported by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, which oversees the implementation of ECtHR decisions: the committee expressed concern that the applicants still suffer the consequences of the sentences and suggested that the Russian authorities urgently use ways to eliminate the consequences, in particular, the ban on Navalny's participation in the elections.

However, under Russian law, Navalny cannot take part in the upcoming 2018 elections. In 2013, the Kirov court sentenced him to five years probation in the Kirovles case. For ten years after the expiration of the criminal record, he cannot run for president.

Once, Navalny's lawyers managed to challenge the verdict: in February 2016, the European Court of Human Rights found that the Russian side had violated the rights of Navalny and the second convict, Pyotr Ofitserov, to a fair trial. The Supreme Court of Russia overturned the verdict, sending it back for a new trial, and Navalny again temporarily received the right to run.

But already at the beginning of 2017, the same Kirov court again sentenced Navalny to a suspended sentence, in May the sentence came into force, and now Navalny is again deprived of the right to run for election.

Navalny's supporters consider the ban on participation in the elections unreasonable. “Aleksey can run on the basis of the Constitution: according to it, only people in places of detention cannot do this. And the decisions that the ECHR makes over and over again in favor of Aleksey indicate that the verdicts of Russian courts against him are unjust and cannot be an obstacle to his participation in the elections," Navalny's spokeswoman Kira Yarmysh told the BBC.

Image copyright Sergei Fadeichev/TASS Image caption Navalny sharply criticized TV presenter Ksenia Sobchak after reports of her plans to participate in the elections

Will there be more candidates?

Despite the decision to refuse admission of Putin's main political opponent, the presidential administration would not like to be limited to the traditional selection of candidates from parliamentary parties. This is necessary to demonstrate that the critics of the authorities are not barred from participating in the elections.

"There is an understanding that someone from the radical opposition will want to show up. Either [Dmitry] Gudkov will want to get promoted before the mayoral elections. Or Lev Shlosberg," says a BBC source in the presidential administration. According to him, if they decide to participate in the elections, the Kremlin will not interfere with them.

However, these candidates themselves do not plan to be nominated. The head of the Pskov branch of Yabloko, Lev Shlosberg, in a conversation with the BBC, said that he would support the candidacy of party leader Grigory Yavlinsky, who is to be nominated at the upcoming congress in December. Ex-deputy Dmitry Gudkov also said that he "has an agreement with Yavlinsky."

There will definitely be a candidate from the Growth Party, which is now hosting intra-party primaries, says a presidential administration official. Earlier, RBC reported that business ombudsman Boris Titov, ex-State Duma deputy Oksana Dmitrieva, Internet ombudsman Dmitry Marinichev and businessman Dmitry Potapenko are participating in the primaries. In addition, it is expected that other "small parties" not represented in the Duma will put forward their candidates, the BBC source said.

Another possible participant in the elections, against which the Kremlin does not object, is TV presenter Ksenia Sobchak, BBC sources reported earlier. She herself neither confirmed nor denied her participation in the campaign. And in early October, her acquaintances said, she met with Putin and talked to him alone.

Traditionally, LDPR leaders Vladimir Zhirinovsky, the Communist Party of the Russian Federation Gennady Zyuganov and Just Russia Sergei Mironov are expected to participate in the elections. "The LDPR will certainly participate in the elections, the main candidate is Vladimir Zhirinovsky," his assistant told the BBC. "Fair Russia" all decisions on presidential elections - on participation and on the candidacy - will be made at the congress, an assistant to the head of the Socialist-Revolutionaries Sergei Mironov told the BBC. The Communist Party of the Russian Federation reported that they would officially announce the nomination of their candidate at the congress in December.

In September, Boris Yakimenko, the brother of the founder and former leader of the Nashi movement, Vasily Yakimenko, already announced his intention to run for president. Political consultant Andrey Bogdanov, who had already participated in the 2008 elections and then scored 1.29%, announced his desire to become a presidential candidate.

Vladimir Putin has not yet announced his decision to run again, but preparations for his nomination are in full swing. He is expected to announce his plans in December.

Will there be intrigue

The presence among the candidates of a real oppositionist who seriously criticizes Putin would, of course, increase interest in the elections, says political scientist Abbas Gallyamov. But the pluses of allowing Navalny for the Kremlin end there, and there are many more minuses.

“By admitting Navalny, you are essentially admitting that he is not an American spy, although you used to say otherwise. Our people simply will not understand such liberalism,” Gallyamov says.

In addition, it is not clear how Putin's voter will behave when he hears on the air of the First Channel the exposure of the oppositionist. "No one can predict his reaction in advance. No matter how high Putin's ratings are, they are based on a lack of criticism," the political scientist says.

Finally, by registering Navalny, there is a risk of inspiring his supporters and demoralizing the pro-government voter, Gallyamov notes: “Navalny will definitely interpret the fact of registration as his victory. camp of a large part of the swing voters".

"The question whether Navalny has or does not have the right to participate in the elections is a false question. He is already quite obviously a participant in these elections. But everything is still ahead. Therefore, I think that we will see the warming up of the campaign by December and, apparently, the authorities will clash with those citizens who demand that Navalny be given the opportunity to participate," says political analyst Gleb Pavlovsky.

According to Pavlovsky, Putin is keeping up with the intrigue, "intending to blow up the campaign, in which he is not yet present, he is on the sidelines." "I think that today there is no such thing as a unanimous opinion of the Kremlin. There are different positions, all of them are not finalized, because there is no open political stage on which they can speak out," the political scientist concludes.