Opposition politician and Yekaterinburg Mayor Yevgeny Roizman has dropped out of the Sverdlovsk region’s gubernatorial race, after failing to gather enough support from local deputies.
Immediately after announcing the decision, Roizman expressed his grievances with the electoral system on Twitter and called for a boycott of the election slated for Sept. 10.
"These are not elections,” he wrote. “This is the deception of voters and role-playing games. I think honest people should not take part in this. These elections need to be boycotted.”
Roizman has been the mayor of Yekaterinburg since 2013 when he ran on behalf of oligarch Mikhail Prokhorov's Civic Platform party and defeated the ruling United Russia candidate. This time, he was running on the liberal Yabloko party’s ticket.
While he is among the country’s best-known opposition figures, Roizman has drawn criticism from some in his own camp for his hard-handed approach towards drug addicts.
But his decision to drop out is a significant setback for the opposition and highlights the obstacles outsiders face running in elections.
According to a 2012 law, candidates are required to gather the signatures of 5 to 10 percent of municipal deputies or municipal administration heads to run.
At a press conference following Roizman’s announcement to drop out, Grigory Yavlinsky, the leader of the Yabloko liberal opposition party, called the requirement “a means of political corruption.” He argues deputies will only sign off on a candidate, if they have the backing of the local governor.
The opposition-leaning Dozhd television channel cited a source in the presidential administration as saying that the Sverdlovsk region’s current governor had feared a Roizman candidacy.
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.
