Thousands of people across Russia are signing petitions to support the longshot candidacy of Boris Nadezhdin.

Boris Nadezhdin seeks to run in the March 17 presidential election in Russia. The question now is whether authorities will allow him on the ballot.

The stocky, bespectacled 60-year-old local legislator and academic has struck a chord with the public, openly calling for a halt to the conflict in Ukraine, the end of mobilizing Russian men for the military, and starting a dialogue with the West. He also has criticized the country’s repression of LGBTQ+ activism.

  • MrMakabar@feddit.deEnglish
    0·
    8 months ago

    If somebody like him actually runs, it will only happen to gauge public support for peace. He is never going to win, but if he should have won Putin might try to go for a peace deal in Ukraine.

  • SitD@feddit.deEnglish
    0·
    8 months ago

    I’m hopeless about this situation either way. i wish the Russian government would once more become a beacon of technology and stand in its own feet instead of trying to find a future in invading other countries. the current path is a path into the medieval times and the result is not wealth. I’m not even pro capitalism, but this is plain unintelligent and wasteful.

  • JJROKCZ@lemmy.worldEnglish
    0·
    8 months ago

    I’m not going to take the easy route and make window or tea jokes like every other time Russians are mentioned on this site…

    I hope he gets on the ballet and at least gets the populace to consider an alternative. He needs to be kept under constant guard and be very careful the rest of his days for openly opposing the oligarchs or they’ll end his campaign.

    I don’t think his odds are good, but i hope one day we’ll see a world with a truly democratic russia sitting at the table and truly wanting peace

    • Syndic@feddit.deEnglish
      0·
      8 months ago

      Even if he ends up on the ballot, there’s no way in hell that he will get fair elections and does have any chance of ousting Putin. Putin has killed a lot of Russians to get into the positions he’s currently in to give it up now.