Russian opposition leader announces presidential bid

By Emre Gurkan Abay

MOSCOW (AA) - Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny will run in the March 2018 presidential elections, Russian media said Sunday.

Navalny, 41, an opposition activist and the founder of the Anti-Corruption Fund, officially applied to the Central Election Commission to challenge President Vladimir Putin, despite objections from Russian authorities due to lawsuits against him.

“Vladimir Putin, you should not be president anymore,” Navalny told a group of close to 700 supporters at the election commission.

“You are a bad president. We are sending you a message in these elections and are ready to win,” he added.

Navalny previously received multiple sentences for a number of charges, including fraud and calls to attend "unauthorized" rallies.