World News
Russian election officials disqualify dozens of candidates ahead of parliamentary vote
France 24 reports that Russian authorities have disqualified dozens of candidates ahead of elections.
The short version
- Russian electoral officials have barred at least 36 candidates from running in the September 18 to 20 parliamentary election.[France 24]
- Reported disqualification grounds include displaying banned social media logos, foreign stock holdings, and imagery ruled extremist.[France 24]
- More than half of the candidates disqualified since the beginning of the year belong to the Yabloko party.[France 24]
- A political specialist characterized the legal justifications cited by officials as flimsy and bordering on absurd.[France 24]
Key facts
- At least 36 candidates have been removed from the ballot ahead of parliamentary elections scheduled for September 18 to 20.[France 24]
- Over half of the candidates barred from running since the beginning of the year are members of the Yabloko party.[France 24]
- Candidates were barred for actions including posting photos of Alexei Navalny, holding shares in Western technology firms, and featuring a Facebook logo.[France 24]
- Specific disqualifications involved a photo of Motörhead founder Lemmy Kilmister deemed to show extremist symbols and a campaign clip featuring Banksy artwork.[France 24]
What remains uncertain
- The full total of disqualified candidates across all upcoming races remains unconfirmed beyond the figures compiled by independent media.[France 24]
Sources
Outlet counts describe coverage, not independent confirmation. Reports may share a wire service or original source.