Yekaterina Duntsova speaks to journalists after meeting Central Election Commission officials to present documents at an office in Moscow, Russia, on December 20, 2023. Portal/Maxim Shemetov/File
The The Russian election commission ruled this out this Saturday candidacy for the Presidential elections from the journalist and former local councilor Yekaterina Duntsovawho fights for it Democracy and the end of the offensive in Ukraine.
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The commission claimed “Error in the documents” submitted for registration of candidacy, Russian television stated
The President of the Commission, Ella Pamfilova, explained that the organization had unanimously decided to exclude the candidacy of this 40-year-old woman in the elections next March. There it is given President Vladimir Putin's victory is certainHe has been in power since 1999 and is expected to win another six-year term.
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“You are a young woman and you have your life ahead of you,” Pamfilova told the candidate.
Pamfilova said that a total of 29 people submitted applications for the presidential election.
Russian President Vladimir Putin chairs a meeting with members of the Security Council via videoconference at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, December 22, 2023. Sputnik/Mikhail Klimentyev/Kremlin via Portal
For years, Russian power has eliminated any serious resistanceand the repression has accelerated since the Kremlin sent its army into Ukraine in February 2022.
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Last week, Duntsova won support for a popular initiative to confront Putin in the March 2024 presidential election.
Duntsova, 40, received support from 521 of the more than 700 participants to an independent congress in Moscow, according to the SOTA portal.
For security reasons, the venue was only communicated via social networks at the last minute, which did not prevent the deployment of police officers in the room where the event took place.
Representatives of the Central Election Commission also appeared, before whom the popular initiative must submit at least 300,000 signatures by January 25th.
Yekaterina Duntsova was excluded from the presidential race. Moscow, Russia, December 20, 2023. Portal/Maxim Shemetov/File
Duntsova announced her election plans in mid-November, arguing that “the country has been moving in the wrong direction over the last decade,” a path that leads to “self-destruction.”
“I want Russia to be a democratic, prosperous and peaceful state”said the journalist and politician, who was elected in 2019 as a deputy to the municipal assembly of the city of Rzhev in the Tver region, just over 200 kilometers from Moscow.
It advocates, among other things, the cessation of hostilities in Ukraine, the introduction of democratic reforms and the release of political prisoners.
As soon as she announced her ambitions, the journalist was summoned to the public prosecutor's office, where she was questioned about her opinion on the military operation in the neighboring country.
Yekaterina Duntsova attends a meeting with Central Election Commission officials to present documents at an office in Moscow, Russia, December 20, 2023. Portal/Maxim Shemetov
In addition, he reported in early December that VTB Bank had blocked money transfers on his behalf when he reached out to his supporters to financially support his campaign.
mother of three children, Duntsova comes from the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk and has a degree in law and audiovisual journalism.
The controversial constitutional reform of 2020 allows the current president to serve two additional terms of six years each. until 2036.
The Kremlin opposition believes that the elections will be a referendum on the current war, in which Russia has failed to achieve its goals set in February 2022 and, according to the West, has suffered more than 300,000 casualties.
Yesterday, Russia warned of one Break in the diplomatic relations with the United States if he takes more active measures to achieve this Ukraine in the context of the war that is almost two years old.
“Diplomatic relations in themselves, of course, are not some kind of totem that should be worshiped,” Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov initially said about this connection, which has been going on for some time “He’s in a coma.” of Washington’s “mistaken and dangerous” notion that it was necessary to “strategically” defeat his country.
The official noted that the “triggers” of such a scenario include “the confiscation of assets,” “further military escalation,” or the transfer of frozen funds to Kyiv for reconstruction.
“I just want to make it clear that we are prepared for any scenario. “The United States should not be under the illusion that Russia is clinging to diplomatic relations with the country with both hands,” he added.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov attends a meeting chaired by Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Novo-Ogaryovo state residence outside Moscow, Russia. October 16, 2023. Sputnik/Gavriil Grigorov/Pool via Portal/File
For this reason, he stressed, the Kremlin does not rule out the possibility of relations moving from the current “close to zero” level to an “official reduction” in diplomatic presence or even a “total break” to demonstrate this, Washington stressed the Need to rethink relations in the context of an “increasingly changing” world order and reach agreements as the “only way out”.
For months, both the US and its European partners have been debating the possibility of using all the funds confiscated by Russia and its oligarchs – in the form of sanctions for the war offensive – for the billion-dollar reconstruction of Ukraine.
Weeks ago, the members of the European Union agreed that Russia should take on this task, and even the President of the Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, announced that they were working on a proposal to raise this amount using the funds she had allocated is already in your possession.
According to the group, it will probably be tight $223 billion.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov attends a news conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin following a State Council meeting on youth policy in Moscow, Russia, December 22, 2022. Sputnik/Valeriy Sharifulin/Pool via Portal /Archive
Also, the Deputy Minister of Justice of Ukraine Irina Mudra added that a tax on this money or investments is being considered in order to achieve greater benefits, as the estimated amount required to rehabilitate the country is so far close is 100,000 euros $400,000.
In this regard, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov warned that such measures would have “serious consequences” that would affect the global economic situation.
“The problem of illegal seizure of our assets is constantly on the agenda in Europe and the United States. “This problem is unacceptable to us, it is extremely dangerous for the global financial system,” and Russia “will never leave alone those who want to implement these measures,” he continued.
“Europeans and Americans fully understand this because there will be legal consequences for those who initiate and use it.” If they confiscate something from us, We'll see what we can seize in return. And if it is found, of course we will do it immediately. “These are measures that cannot be implemented and have serious consequences,” the spokesman concluded.
(With information from EFE and Europa Press)