{"id":3967,"date":"2021-08-10T09:23:59","date_gmt":"2021-08-10T09:24:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mediateka.online\/learnrussian\/bashkortostan-opposition-politician-barred-from-russian-duma-elections.html"},"modified":"2021-08-10T09:23:59","modified_gmt":"2021-08-10T09:24:00","slug":"bashkortostan-opposition-politician-barred-from-russian-duma-elections","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mediateka.online\/learnrussian\/bashkortostan-opposition-politician-barred-from-russian-duma-elections.html","title":{"rendered":"Bashkortostan Opposition Politician Barred From Russian Duma Elections"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Tahir

UFA, Russia — An opposition politician in Russia’s Republic of Bashkortostan in the Volga region says he has been denied registration for next month\u2019s elections to the parliament\u2019s lower chamber, the State Duma.<\/p>\n

Tahir Vakhitov wrote on Instagram late on August 8 that the election commission in Bashkortostan’s capital, Ufa, had rejected his registration papers.<\/p>\n

He did not provide further details.<\/p>\n

A year ago, Vakhitov left his job at the BCT television station to protest its coverage of demonstrations by local activists to protect Kushtau Hill from mining.<\/p>\n

During the weeks-long protests, which attracted little attention from local media, the protesters scuffled with police and fought with security guards of the company involved in the mining project.<\/p>\n

On September 19, Russia will vote to choose members of the State Duma, 39 regional parliaments, and nine regional governors.<\/p>\n

Candidacies of several potential independent and opposition candidates have been rejected by electoral authorities across Russia in recent months.<\/p>\n

In the run-up to the elections, the Kremlin has cracked down on opposition political figures and independent media as the ruling United Russia party’s popularity dramatically decreased since last year.<\/p>\n