Evgeniy Minchenko, the head of the communications firm Minchenko Consulting, notes that the Central Election Commission found violations in the signatures submitted for Boris Nadezhdin’s presidential candidacy and raised questions about potential registration issues. He attributes these problems to what he calls insufficient motivation within the politician’s campaign team.
Speaking with socialbites.ca, the political analyst described the Civil Initiative, which nominated Boris Nadezhdin, as a “couch party.” He suggested that the team relied on a mix of volunteers, contracted workers, and political activists with only a vague, self-generated drive to gather signatures for the presidential bid.
Minchenko argued that this approach tends to produce lower-quality signatures and a higher defect rate. He asserted that the CEC’s decision to identify violations in Nadezhdin’s paperwork seemed objectively justified, because no one wants to accept responsibility for signature integrity or for registering candidates who may violate the law.
Previously, it was reported that Boris Nadezhdin, the Civil Initiative candidate, requested the Central Election Commission to postpone its meeting to February 10. The aim, he explained, was to allow a more thorough examination of the signature claims and to better prepare objections. The CEC, however, scheduled the meeting for February 8, setting a tighter timeline for the review process.
On February 5, the Central Election Commission clarified that more than 15 percent of the signatures supporting Boris Nadezhdin’s presidential bid were defective. This revelation underscored the challenges facing the campaign as it navigates the strict signature requirements and the scrutiny that accompanies the registration process.