Moscow municipal legislators picket for opposition candidates to be allowed onto City Duma election ballots

Municipal deputies picketed outside Moscow’s election commission building on the afternoon of July 10 to demand that opposition candidates running for Moscow City Duma seats be allowed to register their candidacy. Journalist and Khamovniki District Deputy Ilya Azar posted a photograph of himself at the picket on Facebook and wrote that Muscovites deserve more than “the usual Russian ‘elections’” between pro-regime candidates and other candidates specially selected to lose to them.

Multiple picketers spoke out about violations in the signature collection process for City Duma candidates, citing reported cases in which pro-government candidates’ signatures were faked while real signatures on candidacy petitions for opposition politicians may be deemed fake by local election officials. Moscow’s City Duma elections will take place on September 8, and the Moscow Election Commission will finish evaluating candidates’ registration applications on July 16.