The widow of opponent Alexeï Navalny, Yulia Navalnaïa, on Wednesday March 6 called on Russians to express their opposition to Vladimir Putin on March 17, the third and last day of the presidential election.

A vote which should see the current master of the Kremlin re-elected in the absence of real opposition candidates.

"You can vote for any candidate except Putin, you can 'spoil' your ballot, you can write 'Navalny' in big letters," urged the widow in exile of Alexei Navalny, whose the funeral last week in Moscow was attended by several thousand people.

“We must go to the polling station on the same day and at the same time, March 17 at noon,” she asked in a video, calling the upcoming vote a “masquerade.”

Yulia Navalnaïa, like her two children and some of her husband's allies and collaborators, lives abroad to escape the repression of those in power.

An idea from Alexei Navalny

“We can come and see and see that we are numerous and strong” against “war, corruption and lawlessness”, she again argued in front of the camera, her gaze straight and determined.

Her husband, Alexeï Navalny, launched this idea at the beginning of February in one of his last speeches before his death, believing from his prison that "this could be a powerful demonstration of the state of mind of the country".

Also read “She becomes a political figure”: Yulia, the wife and unwavering support of Alexeï Navalny

According to Yulia Navalnaïa, who promised to continue her husband's fight, "it is a very simple and safe action. It cannot be prohibited" by the authorities, she said.

Because classic demonstrations against power are severely repressed in Russia.

“Next to you, there are probably many people who are against Putin and against the war. And if we come at the same time, our voice against Putin will resonate much louder,” she said.

“Love, support and faith in the future”

Yulia Navalnaïa castigated "the cult of the past, of war, of missiles and vile murders" defended, according to her, by the Kremlin, in the face of "love, support and faith in the future" that she intends to relay.

For its part, the Kremlin assures that Russians are largely "united" behind Vladimir Putin, who must be re-elected without opposition during the vote scheduled for March 15-17.

Read on the France 24Russia Observers: after the death of Alexeï Navalny, opponent of Putin, falsehoods attempt to discredit him

On Wednesday, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov assured that the authorities would organize in a few days "the type of elections that our people want."

“We will no longer tolerate criticism of our democracy,” he said.

If he wins, the current Russian president will remain in power at least until 2030, three decades after his arrival in the Kremlin to replace Boris Yeltsin, then weakened by illness.

With AFP

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