Russia's Supreme Court Confirms Ineligibility Ruling Against Opposition Leader Alexei Navalny

On Saturday, Russia's Supreme Court once again rejected opposition politician Alexei Navalny's request for a review of the 'ineligibility ruling' preventing him from participating in elections. Navalny has been barred from running in the Russian presidential elections. On the last day of 2017, the Supreme Court had confirmed the Central Election Commission's decision regarding Navalny's ineligibility to run. The Central Election Commission cited Navalny's criminal conviction as the reason for his disqualification; however, he claims that political motivations are the main reason behind this decision. On Saturday, a Supreme Court judge stated, 'The decision of the Supreme Court's lower court remains in effect.' In response to this ruling, Ivan Zhdanov, Navalny's representative, told Interfax that he would still seek a review from the 'Council of the Federation' (an institution whose members are appointed by Putin) and the Russian Constitutional Court. Zhdanov stated, 'In theory, Navalny still has a chance to participate in the elections, but in reality, he has little chance.' Following his disqualification, Navalny has called for a boycott of the Russian presidential elections. At 41 years old, Navalny has launched an anti-corruption campaign in Russia, and his supporters have protested in various cities. He has urged his supporters to take to the streets on January 28. Alexei Navalny was released from prison on October 21 after 20 days. Since December 2016, Navalny had unofficially begun his presidential campaign and organized rallies against Vladimir Putin across Russia. He was imprisoned for several weeks in early 2017 on charges of organizing illegal protests against Putin. Navalny has been intermittently banned from attending public gatherings, and he and his supporters have faced beatings and destruction of their offices. Vladimir Putin has announced his candidacy for the 2018 presidential elections again.