Russian Candidate Boris Nadezhdin Gains Surprising Support for Presidential Bid

Boris Nadezhdin, a liberal Russian politician, center, who is seeking to run for president in the March 17 election, gestures while speaking in an interview with The Associated Press in Moscow, Russia

Thousands of Russians have braved the bitter cold to show their support for an unlikely contender in the upcoming presidential election. Boris Nadezhdin, a local legislator and academic, has struck a chord with the public by openly calling for an end to the conflict in Ukraine, an end to the mobilization of Russian men for the military, and a dialogue with the West. He has also criticized the country's repression of LGBTQ+ activism. While Nadezhdin is highly unlikely to defeat the popular President Vladimir Putin, this show of support represents a rare sign of protest and optimism in a country that has experienced a crackdown on dissent since its involvement in Ukraine.

Nadezhdin is running as a candidate for the Civic Initiative Party, which is not represented in parliament. This means that he must collect over 100,000 signatures, with a limit of 2,500 from each of the country's regions, in order to secure a spot on the ballot. In contrast, Putin has already collected over 3 million signatures.

Support for Nadezhdin has been seen not just in Moscow and St. Petersburg, but also in cities like Krasnodar, Saratov, and Yakutsk. Even in the extreme cold of Yakutsk, 400 people a day have been signing petitions to support Nadezhdin's candidacy. This surge of support has surprised analysts, and even the Kremlin, as it represents a genuine political risk for Putin's government.

While the outcome of the election is widely believed to be a foregone conclusion, with Putin expected to remain in power for another six years, the presence of a candidate like Nadezhdin provides a glimmer of hope. For Putin to secure a convincing victory, he needs his supporters to turn out while also discouraging his critics from voting. Nadezhdin's candidacy, however unlikely to succeed, challenges this narrative and offers a real alternative for those who wish to see a different leader at the helm.

People sign petitions in St. Petersburg, Russia, on Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2024, for Boris Nadezhdin, a liberal Russian politician who is seeking to run in the March 17 presidential election. Supporters lined up not just in progressive cities like Moscow and St. Petersburg but also in Krasnodar in the south, Saratov and Voronezh in the southwest and beyond the Ural Mountains in Yekaterinburg. There also were queues in the Far East city of Yakutsk, 450 kilometers (280 miles) south of the Arctic Circle, where Nadezhdin's team said up to 400 people a day braved temperatures that plunged to about minus 40 Celsius (minus 40 Fahrenheit) to sign petitions. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky, File)

Boris Nadezhdin, a liberal Russian politician, center, who is seeking to run for president in the March 17 election, gestures while speaking in an interview with The Associated Press in Moscow, Russia, on Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2024. Some analysts say the surge of support for Nadezhdin has surprised even the Kremlin, although Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Thursday that "we don't see him as a rival." (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)

People line up to sign petitions in St. Petersburg, Russia, on Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2024, for Boris Nadezhdin, a liberal Russian politician who Is seeking to run for president in the March 17 election. Supporters lined up not just in progressive cities like Moscow and St. Petersburg but also in Krasnodar in the south, Saratov and Voronezh in the southwest and beyond the Ural Mountains in Yekaterinburg. There also were queues in the Far East city of Yakutsk, 450 kilometers (280 miles) south of the Arctic Circle, where Nadezhdin's team said up to 400 people a day braved temperatures that plunged to about minus 40 Celsius (minus 40 Fahrenheit) to sign petitions. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky)

Alexander Rakityansky, 27, speaks to The Associated Press in St. Petersburg, Russia, Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2024, while waiting to sign a petition for Boris Nadezhdin, a liberal Russian politician who Is seeking to run for president in the March 17 election. He said he went through a "period of apathy when I thought I couldn't do anything." Now, however, he sees Nadezhdin's campaign as a chance to exercise his civil rights. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky)

FILE - Boris Nadezhdin, center, a liberal Russian politician who is seeking to run for president in the March 17 election, meets in Moscow, Russia, on Thursday, Jan. 11, 2024, with soldiers' wives Maria Andreyeva, left, and Paulina, right, who did not give her last name. Nadezhdin, who opposes Moscow's military action in Ukraine, has met with women who demand that their husbands be discharged from military service. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko, File)

FILE - Boris Nadezhdin, right, a liberal Russian politician who is seeking to run for president in the March 17 election, attends a meeting with soldiers' wives in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, Jan. 11, 2024. Nadezhdin opposes Moscow's military action in Ukraine, and the women were demanding that their husbands be discharged from military service. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko, File)

A woman who identified herself as Margarita speaks to The Associated Press in St. Petersburg, Russia, Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2024, after signing a petition for the candidacy of Boris Nadezhdin, a liberal Russian politician who is seeking to run in the March 17 presidential election. "I understood that these are the people who want to change the current government and I want to be a part of this," said Margarita, a 28-year-old student who declined to give her surname for fear of retribution. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky)

People line up to sign petitions in St. Petersburg, Russia, on Tueday, jan. 23, 2024, for the candidacy of Boris Nadezhdin, a liberal Russian politician who is seeking to run in the March 17 presidential election. Supporters lined up not just in progressive cities like Moscow and St. Petersburg but also in Krasnodar in the south, Saratov and Voronezh in the southwest and beyond the Ural Mountains in Yekaterinburg. There also were queues in the Far East city of Yakutsk, 450 kilometers (280 miles) south of the Arctic Circle, where Nadezhdin's team said up to 400 people a day braved temperatures that plunged to about minus 40 Celsius (minus 40 Fahrenheit) to sign petitions. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky)

Boris Nadezhdin, a liberal Russian politician, center, who is seeking to run in the March 17 presidential election, gestures while speaking in an interview with The Associated Press in Moscow, Russia, Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2024. "I personally know Putin," he said, saying he met him before he became president in 2000. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)

FILE - People line up in St. Petersburg, Russia, on Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2024, to sign petitions for the candidacy of Boris Nadezhdin, a liberal Russian politician who is seeking to run in the March 17 presidential election. Supporters lined up not just in progressive cities like Moscow and St. Petersburg but also in Krasnodar in the south, Saratov and Voronezh in the southwest and beyond the Ural Mountains in Yekaterinburg. There also were queues in the Far East city of Yakutsk, 450 kilometers (280 miles) south of the Arctic Circle, where Nadezhdin's team said up to 400 people a day braved temperatures that plunged to about minus 40 Celsius (minus 40 Fahrenheit) to sign petitions. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky, File)

Despite these signs of popular support, the question remains whether Nadezhdin will be allowed on the ballot. So far, the Central Election Commission has approved three candidates nominated by parties that largely support Kremlin policies. Any candidate not affiliated with a party represented in parliament must go through a rigorous process to secure a spot on the ballot. Some analysts believe that Nadezhdin may still be ruled ineligible, despite the surge of support he has garnered.

Nevertheless, Nadezhdin's candidacy has already had a significant impact. His campaign has received endorsements from opposition leaders abroad, who are urging Russians to support any candidate who could deny Putin a share of the vote. This has helped to generate a sense of optimism and political engagement among Nadezhdin's supporters.

In the end, the upcoming presidential election in Russia is about more than just the outcome. It is a reflection of the country's current climate and the state of its political landscape. Nadezhdin's candidacy represents a challenge to the status quo and has given many Russians the opportunity to express their desire for change and a different leader. While it remains to be seen whether Nadezhdin will be allowed on the ballot, his campaign has already had a profound impact on the political conversation in Russia.