Russian officials bar Navalny from running for president
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Russian election officials on Monday formally barred Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny from running for president, prompting calls from him for a boycott of next year's vote.
The Central Election Commission decided unanimously that the anti-corruption crusader isn't eligible to run.
Navalny is implicitly barred from running for office because of a conviction in a fraud case which has been viewed as political retribution. He could have run if he was given a special dispensation or if his conviction was cancelled.
Incumbent Vladimir Putin is running for a fourth term in office and is widely expected to win the March 18 election.
