Kremlin pushes law to ban Alexei Navalny allies from running as candidates

The lower house of the Russian parliament pre-approved on Tuesday a bill that aims to ban the candidacies of members of groups considered to be extremists, a measure intended to prevent the political campaigns of the allies of the leader of the opposition Alexei Navalny.

The State Duma, dominated by politicians loyal to the Kremlin, quickly approved the bill after a second reading. After the third, it must go to the upper house and would enter into force once signed by President Vladimir Putin..

Parliament debates the issue at the same time as the Moscow prosecution plans to designate as an extremist entity the Navalny group, the Foundation for the fight against corruption. Navalny and his allies have denounced the process as an attempt to suppress all forms of dissent before the parliamentary elections in September.

The organization headed by Navalny launched a strategy to promote the candidates who have the best chance of defeating those nominated by the ruling party, United Russia, in elections at all levels. Thus, the parliamentary initiative that is advancing in the lower house is widely seen as an essential part of the Kremlin’s campaign for try to prevent Navalny’s allies from running in the September election.

Navalny, who is Putin’s staunchest critic, he was arrested in January on his return from Germany, where he spent five months recovering from poisoning, which he attributes to Kremlin agents, who dismiss the charges. In February, he was sentenced to two and a half years in prison for violating the conditions of a suspended sentence handed down in 2014 for embezzlement. Navalny claims this process is nothing more than a political maneuver.

New criminal cases against Navalny

Russian opponent denounced on Tuesday that he is the subject of three new criminal cases, at a time when the pressure against his movement and his supporters is increasing. Navalny indicated on his Instagram account that is accused of having embezzled “all donations” made to his anti-corruption organization, as good as creation of a group “that violates the rights of people” and of insult a judge in a recent process.

“My influential criminal union is growing”, Putin’s main national opponent joked in the new post. “I am a genius and a master puppeteer of the criminal underworld”, the 44-year-old said, adding that more than 20 researchers were involved in the new research.

Quoting a senior representative of the Russian Investigative Committee, which is investigating the crimes, Navalny said he was charged with “Steal” donations from your Anti-Corruption Foundation e insult a judge. He is also accused of create a non-commercial organization and encourage Russians not to fulfill “their civic duties” by publishing an investigation into Putin’s alleged wealth.

Navalny launched a research on a black sea palace that Russian bosses are said to have built for Putin, who has racked up more than 116 million views on YouTube. Putin denies that the palace belongs to him.

The dissident’s lawyer, Olga Mijailova, pointed out that the last of the three cases opened against Navalny is that of the alleged insult to judge Vera Amíkova, who ordered him to pay a fine of 850,000 rubles (nearly 11,500 dollars) for defaming a WWII veteran, a charge the opponent has consistently rejected. Navalny has appealed the fine, a case to be heard by a Moscow court on June 22.

(With information from AP and EFE)

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