More than Two Percent of Candidates in Upcoming Russian Elections are Convicted Criminals

Paul Goble

            Staunton, September 4 – According to RBC journalists, 2.2 percent of the candidates in the September 9 elections have been convicted of crimes, most often for theft and beatings but also for taking hostages and forging election documents, an increase of 50 percent compared to the situation in local and regional elections a year ago.

            Yevgeniya Kuznetsova and Dada Lindell say that Russian law prevents those convicted of more serious crimes, including extremism, from running  except unless their convictions have been overturned. And they point to s cases where individuals applying to run were rejected on because of criminal pasts (rbc.ru/politics/04/09/2018/5b87bc129a7947d592b5a193?from=main).

                In this year’s vote, almost 1200 of the 52,200 candidates nonetheless have been convicted of a crime. Among United Russia, the share of such people was 1.5 percent; among KPRF and Yabloko party candidates, three percent; and among those running on their own without party sponsorship, “about 4.6 percent.”

                A fifth of those with convictions were found guilty of theft. Others have convictions for beatings and the infliction of harm on others and hooliganism.  Most reported their convictions but said they had either completed their sentences or that the verdicts had been overturned.  Some had multiple convictions, including one LDPR candidate who reported nine.