In March 2018, Russian opposition leader Aleksei Navalny was barred from running against Vladimir Putin in the country’s presidential election due to a criminal conviction seen by many as politically motivated. The decision by Russia’s Central Election Commission (CEC) sparked outrage among Navalny’s supporters, who accused Russia’s government of breaking its own laws in order to keep Putin in power. Even without Navalny, Russia’s election was marred by reports of widespread fraud and a subsequent crackdown on protests voicing discontent with Putin.
