The Nizhny Novgorod Election Commission refused to nominate a journalist involved in a “sanitary case” to the State Duma

In the Nizhny Novgorod region, the election commission refused to register candidate Natalya Rezontova for the State Duma elections. This was reported on her telegram channel.

At the meeting, the commission read out responses to requests from the Ministry of Justice and the local department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. According to the departments, Rezontova is related to extremist organizations.

The law prohibits those who helped or participated in extremist organizations from being elected before they were declared extremist. Therefore, the commission believes, Rezontova does not have a passive electoral right, and she cannot be elected to the State Duma. The channel notes that this was the only refusal of nomination to the commission.

“I do not agree with this decision, because the case under Article 236 [of the Criminal Code] against me is not an obstacle to participating in the elections. The Ministry of Justice left the decision to the discretion of the commission. The unanimous decision of the commission shows its full subordination to the Ministry of Internal Policy,” Rezontova said.

The journalist is facing a “sanitary case” due to January rallies in support of politician Alexei Navalny. In March, she was banned from certain activities and banned from using the Internet.

According to investigators , Rezontova published posts on social networks about rallies on January 23 and 31 in support of opposition leader Alexei Navalny, “deliberately ignoring the requirements of sanitary and epidemiological rules regarding the cancellation of mass events.”

Rezontova previously worked in the Nizhny Novgorod branch of the newspaper Argumenty i Fakty and local publications Vremya Novostey and Nizhegorodsky Rabochiy. In 2020, she was elected to the city Duma from Yabloko, but lost to the candidate from United Russia.