Activists link low number of signatures for presidential candidate Nadezhdin in Northern Caucasus with fear of persecution

Law enforcers have summoned the head of Boris Nadezhdin's electoral office in Ingushetia for a conversation; the signature collectors from Dagestan and the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic (KBR) have stated that there was no pressure on them. According to their story, residents of North-Caucasian republics are afraid to put their signatures for Nadezhdin, an opposition candidate, because of possible consequences; besides, they are confident that the outcomes of the presidential election in Russia are predefined.

In the course of the Russian presidential election campaign, signature sheets shall be submitted to the Russian Central Election Commission (CEC) by January 31. Candidates from extra-parliamentary parties need to collect 100,000 signatures, self-nominated candidates – 300,000 of them. Boris Nadezhdin is running for presidency from the "Civil Initiative" Party.

Vakha Kartoev, the head of the Ingush branch of the above party, was summoned to the Centre for Combating Extremism after the collection of signatures for Nadezhdin began. "The conversation boiled down to warnings against rallies and the like," he has noted.

According to his version, people are afraid to sign for the oppositional candidate.

Marieta Shaginyan, a signatures collector for Nadezhdin in the KBR, said that mostly young people put up their signatures.

There is no Nadezhdin's official office in Dagestan, but collectors are actively collecting signatures for him.

Nadezhdin's Moscow office has stated that, in principle, they are satisfied with the activeness of signature collectors in Northern Caucasus.

A woman from Ingushetia, who has supported Nadezhdin, noted that not everyone is ready to openly declare their sympathy for the oppositional politician. According to her story, collecting signatures in Northern Caucasus for nominating the candidate who speaks out in favour of ending the special military operation (SMO) is "not an easy task."

The "Caucasian Knot" has also reported that Nadezhdin's supporters in Krasnodar and Volgograd faced law enforcer's counteraction.