Alexei Navalny, Vladimir Putin’s most dogged political opponent, has vowed to force the Kremlin to allow him to run in next year’s presidential elections, in a move that will test the Russian leader’s confidence in his ability to hold on to power. The lawyer and anti-corruption campaigner said his latest criminal conviction, which under Russian law bars him from running for public office, could not prevent his presidential bid. “We will try to grow support in society until the Kremlin understands that it is necessary to admit me to the elections and the consequences of not admitting me will be even worse,” Mr Navalny said in his first interview since he was convicted of embezzlement last week. “This is a political campaign for a change of power.” Even Mr Putin’s critics think it unlikely Mr Navalny would pose a serious threat, given the president’s support ratings of about 80 per cent. But observers believe the way the Kremlin deals with the opposition politician will reflect how safe the Russian leader feels.
A court in the city of Kirov gave Mr Navalny a five-year suspended prison sentence on February 9, mirroring a sentence handed down in 2013. Russia’s supreme court in December cancelled the earlier ruling after the European Court of Human Rights found Mr Navalny had not been given a fair trial.
“None of these legal things matter. That’s only the formalisation, the procedure,” Mr Navalny said. “The question is a political question. The Kremlin decides the question of elections by not admitting people to [them].”
In July 2013, immediately after Mr Navalny registered to run for Moscow mayor, the Kirov court found him guilty on the embezzlement charges for the first time, resulting in a ban on his running for public office. But after supporters gathered in Moscow to protest at his exclusion from the ballot, the court, at the request of the prosecution, freed him pending an appeal — a step widely seen as ordered by the Kremlin.
Full Article: Putin opponent Navalny determined to run for presidency of Russia.