A Moscow official said Tuesday that the State Department’s criticism of a ban on an opposition leader from running against Vladimir Putin in Russia’s upcoming presidential election constitutes “direct interference” in its electoral affairs.
“This State Department statement, which I’m sure will be repeated, is a direct interference in our electoral process and internal affairs,” Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in a Facebook statement, according to Business Insider.
The State Department spokesperson said in a Tuesday statement that they were concerned over Russia’s “ongoing crackdown against independent voices, from journalists to civil society activists to opposition politicians,” Business Insider reported.
The statement comes after Russia’s Central Electoral Commission formally banned candidate Alexei Navalny last weekend from being listed on the ballot in the country’s upcoming presidential elections, citing a prior embezzlement conviction.
Navalny, a fierce critic of Putin, aimed to run as an opposition candidate to the president, who is seeking reelection for his fourth term in office, his second consecutive six-year term.
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Russia accuses US of "direct interference" in its upcoming election https://t.co/oFpnh2upaB pic.twitter.com/JX1JTkg6bU
— The Hill (@thehill) December 27, 2017
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