Russian opposition politician Aleksei Navalny says he will sue President Vladimir Putin and his administration over what he called a coordinated effort to thwart his campaign for the March 2018 presidential election.<br /><br />Writing on his website on November 1, Navalny said in recent days, the authorities across Russia have refused to let him and his team organise public meetings with voters.<br /><br />What did he say?<br /><br />That the obstacles are being “coordinate” personally by Putin, asserting that the president is concerned by the numbers of people attending his rallies.<br /><br />He also said his staff would start holding campaign meetings on private land to avoid the need to obtain permission from local authorities.<br /><br />Is there strong opposition to his candidature?<br /><br />Yes. Navalny is campaigning for the election in defiance of officials who have said he is not eligible to run because of a felony embezzlement conviction that he says was politically motivated.<br /><br />Alexei navalny is definitively barred from running in next year’s presidential elections. Really. https://t.co/toGjwsSRUV pic.twitter.com/AXVKcn37zj— The Moscow Times (MoscowTimes) 25 octobre 2017<br /><br /><br />He has riled the Kremlin with reports alleging corruption in Putin’s government. He got 27% of the vote in a Moscow mayoral election in 2013.<br /><br />Is Vladimir Putin going to stand?<br /><br />He has not yet announced his candidacy, but is widely expected to seek a fourth Kremlin term.<br />
