Russia: voters pay tribute to Alexei Navalny in some voting centers

Voters gathered this Sunday in front of some polling stations in Moscowthe Russian capital, following a call from the opposition to pay tribute to the late opponent Alexey Navalny and denounce elections designed to maintain Vladimir Putin in the power.

The flow has been very uneven depending on the locations, AFP confirmed.

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Moscow It is Saint Petersburg were the cities where most people responded to the call to gather at noon, established by Julia NavalnayaNavalny’s widow.

Yulia Navalnaya, widow of the late opposition leader Alexei Navalny, attends a rally in Berlin where voters lined up to vote in Russia’s presidential election on March 17, 2024. (Photo by Tobias SCHWARZ/AFP) (TOBIAS SCHWARZ/ )

At 12pm local time (0900 GMT), dozens of people gathered in front of the Moscow 2025 school polling station.

“There aren’t that many people, but it’s a good result” he declared Leonid Pakhin, an 18-year-old student. “I didn’t have any specific expectations, I’m just happy that people came” he added.

Denis, a 21-year-old young man who works in the advertising sector, arrived to express his support for the opposition without the risk of being arrested.

Classic demonstrations against power are harshly repressed in Russia.

“I come to express my solidarity with a very important person (…) these elections are a way of honoring Navalny’s memory“He explained.

The opponent, Putin’s main critic for more than a decade, died on February 16 in a arctic prisonin unclear circumstances.

A lawyer by training, he was arrested at the beginning of 2021 and tirelessly denounced the repression and corruption of Russian elites. He also criticized the Kremlin’s military campaign against Ukrainestarted in February 2022.

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His widow, Navalnaya, now in exile, urged Russians to protest against Putin during the third and final day of the elections.

In MarineAnother Moscow neighborhood, Natalia, 65, said she joined the rally to say goodbye to Navalny, whom she described as “hero”.

Her friend Elena, a 38-year-old engineer, accompanied her. “This is our only chance to express our opinion“, sustained.

Source: Elcomercio