Former TV journalist Yekaterina Duntsova has nominated herself to participate in the upcoming Russian presidential elections in March, despite the widespread expectation that incumbent Vladimir Putin will secure a landslide victory.
In a recent interview with Reuters, Duntsova, aged 40, expressed her desire for an end to the conflict in Ukraine and the release of political prisoners, notably opposition leader Alexei Navalny.
She has formally submitted the necessary documents to the Central Electoral Commission in order to enter the election. Putin, aged 71, has been in power for over two decades and is seeking another six-year term, with his victory all but assured due to the absence of a viable opposition candidate.
Despite widespread dissent, particularly from Navalny’s supporters who view the election as a sham, the Kremlin maintains control over who can run, as well as the ability to manipulate the vote if necessary through an opaque electronic voting system.
The Kremlin has asserted that Putin is likely to win due to his overwhelming public support, backed by opinion poll ratings of approximately 80%.
Duntsova’s next challenge is to collect 300,000 signatures from across Russia in support of her candidacy by the January 31 deadline. In contrast, candidates backed by a political party only need 100,000 signatures.
In her interview with Reuters, Duntsova refrained from using the term “war” to describe the Russia-Ukraine conflict, which Putin has labeled a “special military operation”. She also candidly admitted her fear, stating, “Any rational person taking this step would be afraid – but fear must not triumph.”
(Reporting by Reuters, writing by Mark Trevelyan, Editing by Alex Richardson)
