Putin critic Navalny barred from Russian presidential election
Alexei Navalny
MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was barred on Monday from running in next year’s presidential election after officials ruled he was ineligible to take part due to a suspended prison sentence he says was trumped up.
The decision by the central election commission was widely expected as election officials had repeatedly declared  Navalny  would be ineligible to run. Twelve members of the 13-member commission voted to bar  Navalny . One member abstained  citing a possible conflict of interest.
 Navalny   41  who polls show would struggle to beat incumbent Vladimir Putin in the March election  said he would appeal and called on his supporters to boycott the election and campaign against it being held.
“We knew this could happen  and so we have a straight-forward  clear plan ”  Navalny  said in a pre-recorded video released immediately after the decision.
 Navalny  said  he  would use  his  campaign headquarters across Russia to support the boycott and monitor turnout on voting day  March 18.
Polls show Putin  65  who has dominated Russia’s political landscape for the last 17 years  is on course to be comfortably re-elected  making  him  eligible to serve another six years until 2024  when  he  turns 72.
 Navalny  says Putin’s support is exaggerated and artificially maintained by a biased state media and an unfair system. He says he could defeat him in a fair election  an assertion Putin’s supporters have said is laughable.
‘DO  THE RIGHT THING’
Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny  speaks to the media after submitting  his  documents to be registered as a presidential candidate at the Central Election Commission in Moscow  Russia December 24  2017. REUTERS/Tatyana Makeyeva
Before the commission voted   Navalny   dressed in a dark suit  had demanded  he  be allowed to take part in the election delivering a speech that angered election officials.
In one heated exchange   he  said Russian voters’ faith in the system hung in the balance.
“If you do not allow me to run  you are taking a decision against millions of people who are demanding that  Navalny  take part ”  he  said  referring to  himself  in the first person.
“You are not robots  you are living  breathing human beings you are an independent body ... for once in your lives  do the right thing ”  he  said.
 His  supporters clapped  him   but officials were unmoved.
Ebzeev said there could not be “the slightest doubt” that  Navalny  was ineligible to run  a reference to Russia’s constitution that bars him running because of his suspended sentence relating to an embezzlement case.
 Navalny  has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing  and says the case is politically motivated.
"MOSCOW (Reuters) - [TGT] was barred on Monday from running in next year’s presidential election after officials ruled [TGT] was ineligible to take part due to a suspended prison sentence [TGT] says was trumped up.
The decision by the central election commission was widely expected as election officials had repeatedly declared  [TGT]would be ineligible to run. Twelve members of the 13-member commission voted to bar  Navalny . One member abstained  citing a possible conflict of interest.
 Navalny   41  who polls show would struggle to beat incumbent Vladimir Putin in the March election  said he would appeal and called on his supporters to boycott the election and campaign against it being held.
“We knew this could happen  and so we have a straight-forward  clear plan ”  [TGT]said in a pre-recorded video released immediately after the decision.
 [TGT]said  [TGT]  would use  [TGT]  campaign headquarters across Russia to support the boycott and monitor turnout on voting day  March 18.
Polls show Putin  65  who has dominated Russia’s political landscape for the last 17 years  is on course to be comfortably re-elected  making  him  eligible to serve another six years until 2024  when  he  turns 72.
 [TGT]says Putin’s support is exaggerated and artificially maintained by a biased state media and an unfair system. [TGT] says [TGT] could defeat [TGT] in a fair election  an assertion Putin’s supporters have said is laughable.
‘DO  THE RIGHT THING’
 [TGT] speaks to the media after submitting  [TGT]  documents to be registered as a presidential candidate at the Central Election Commission in Moscow  Russia December 24  2017. REUTERS/Tatyana Makeyeva
Before the commission voted   Navalny   dressed in a dark suit  had demanded  he  be allowed to take part in the election delivering a speech that angered election officials.
In one heated exchange   he  said Russian voters’ faith in the system hung in the balance.
“If you do not allow me to run  you are taking a decision against millions of people who are demanding that  Navalny  take part ”  he  said  referring to  himself  in the first person.
“You are not robots  you are living  breathing human beings you are an independent body ... for once in your lives  do the right thing ”  he  said.
 His  supporters clapped  him   but officials were unmoved.
Ebzeev said there could not be “the slightest doubt” that  Navalny  was ineligible to run  a reference to Russia’s constitution that bars him running because of his suspended sentence relating to an embezzlement case.
 Navalny  has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing  and says the case is politically motivated."