36+ Opposition Candidates Removed from Russian Elections
At least 36 opposition candidates were removed from elections in Russia due to 'extremism', foreign activities, and document issues. According to 'Verstka', candidates from the 'Yabloko' party were most frequently removed, often due to mentions of Alexei Navalny.
Consensus
- At least 36 opposition candidates were removed or not allowed to participate in Russian parliamentary and regional elections.
- The main reasons for removal were social media posts containing 'extremist symbolism', foreign assets, or document issues.
- 27 candidates were removed due to 'demonstration of extremist symbolism' in their social media, leading to a one-year ban on running for office under Article 20.3 of the KоАП.
- The most common reason for removal was posts mentioning Alexei Navalny, his photo, or related projects—17 cases.
- Seven cases involved links to or logos of Facebook and Instagram, which are banned in Russia.
- Five candidates were removed due to ownership of foreign securities such as Apple or Meta shares.
- Candidates from Yabloko were most affected, with 19 cases.
- Eight candidates from the CPRF, six from other parties, and three independents also had their campaigns ended.
- The removals were linked to political pressure rather than purely technical violations.
- The data was compiled by 'Verstka' based on cases where formal grounds were used, excluding those with clear technical errors or those who regained registration.
Points of divergence
- Two candidates withdrew due to pressure, including Ivan Telyatye from Yabloko in Mari El and Nikolai Skrynnik from LDPR in Kursk Oblast, citing political pressure and demands to remove critical posts. — novaya_eu
- The case of Viktor Bystrorov from Yabloko was due to registration document errors allegedly caused by a program from the Central Election Commission. — novaya_eu
- After the federal list of Yabloko was disqualified, regional lists were also excluded in six regions. — novaya_eu
- Evgeny Poddubny, a Z-foreign correspondent for VGTRK and leader of United Russia's federal list, had foreign shares found but was not removed. — tvrain
- Evgeny Poddubny had shares in Apple and Intel found but was not removed. — tg_tvrain
- Evgeny Poddubny was not removed despite having foreign shares, and he is a top-five candidate for United Russia. — tg_svobodnieslova
Coverage (4 sources)
- Almost 40 opposition candidates withdrew from the elections — Новая газета Европа
- At least 36 opposition candidates were removed from elections in Russia due to 'extremism' and document issues — Дождь
- At least 36 opposition candidates removed from elections in Russia due to 'extremism', foreign activities and document issues — Дождь (Telegram)
- Almost 40 opposition candidates removed from elections due to 'extremism', document issues and foreign interference — Вёрстка