MOSCOW: A Russian politician calling for peace in Ukraine hit a roadblock in her campaign on Saturday, when Russia’s Central Election Commission refused to accept her initial nomination by a group of supporters, citing errors in the documents submitted.
Former legislator Yekaterina Duntsova is calling for peace in Ukraine and hopes to challenge President Vladimir Putin, promoting her vision of a “humane” Russia “that’s peaceful, friendly and ready to cooperate with everyone on the principle of respect.” “On December 23, the Central Election Commission refused to register my initiative group,” Duntsova wrote on the Telegram messaging app.
According to a Telegram channel close to Duntsova’s campaign, the commission found 100 errors in her nomination papers, including mistakes in the spelling of names. “You are a young woman, you still have everything ahead of you. Any minus can always be turned into a plus,” the head of Russia’s Central Election Commission, Ella Pamfilova, said at the commission meeting, addressing Duntsova.
Duntsova said she would appeal the decision in Russia’s Supreme Court, and appealed to the leaders of the Yabloko (Apple) political party to nominate her as a candidate, as she said she would be unable to convene a second meeting of supporters.