Vladimir Putin bars his main electoral rival from running
Russian anti-corruption campaigner and opposition figure Alexei Navalny convicted at the Lublinsky district court in Moscow
Moscow, Feb.8.─ A court in Kirov Wednesday convicted Alexei Navalny on dubious embezzlement charges, which means Russia’s most popular opposition leader will likely be barred from challenging Vladimir Putin when the Kremlin strongman makes his widely expected presidential rerun in 2018.
The 40-year-old Mr. Navalny rose to prominence a decade ago as an anticorruption blogger shedding light on the ill-gotten gains of the Kremlin oligarchy. Young and charismatic, he extended his appeal beyond the middle-class urbanites who read his blog. When he called ruling United Russia “the party of crooks and thieves,” the label stuck.
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