Russian presidential hopeful Boris Nadezhdin gathers over 150,000 signatures in support of candidacy, count still rising

Russian presidential hopeful Boris Nadezhdin has gathered over 150,000 signatures in support of his candidacy, as reported on his website. A counter on the site shows that the number of signatures is still growing.

To qualify for nomination, candidates must gather signatures from more than half of Russia’s regions. No more than 2,500 signatures can come from a single region. Nadezhdin’s team said they plan to submit groups of 2,500 signatures from 40 regions. According to data on Nadezhdin’s website, the required number has already been collected in more than 20 regions.

The Civic Initiative Party nominated Boris Nadezhdin to run in Russia’s upcoming presidential election. He announced his candidacy at the end of 2023.

The Central Election Commission allowed Nadezhdin to start collecting signatures on December 28. In the first three weeks, his supporters managed to gather 25,000 signatures. After well-known opposition politicians endorsed him, people began lining up outside his campaign offices to add their signatures. Another 75,000 signatures were collected in just five days.

On January 24, Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the Kremlin “does not consider Nadezhdin a rival.”