Brussels: The European Union's top diplomat warned on Tuesday that Russia's decision to ban a prominent opposition member from running in next year's presidential elections casts serious doubts on how democratic the vote would be.
The Russian Central Election Committee had on Monday decided to bar Alexei Navalny from participating in the March 2018 election due to past convictions for embezzlement, which he claimed were politically motivated.
The decision to bar him "casts a serious doubt on political pluralism in Russia and the prospect of democratic elections next year", said a spokesperson for Federica Mogherini in a statement cited by Efe news.
The European Court of Human Rights had ruled that Navalny had not received a fair trial when he was charged with embezzlement in 2013 for allegedly conspiring to steal timber from a state-owned company.
When the case was reviewed in 2017, Navalny was again found guilty by a Russian court, though he pointed out that all the court's documents were identical to those used in 2013.
"Politically-motivated charges should not be used against political participation," said the spokesperson's statement.
Mogherini's office said it expected Russian authorities to ensure the elections were fair and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe to be invited to send observers to the vote.
Meanwhile, Russian officials should review opposition leader Alexei Navalny's calls for an election boycott to see if they might be breaking the law, the Kremlin says, hinting at possible legal repercussions.
In a widely-anticipated decision, Russia's top election body ruled on Monday to formally bar Mr Navalny — an anti-corruption crusader — from running in the presidential election next March.
Navalny promptly put out a video statement saying the ban shows President Vladimir Putin "is terribly scared and is afraid of running against me," and calling on his supporters to stay away from the vote in protest.
Putin, who has been in power for 18 years, announced his bid for re-election earlier this month, but so far has refrained from canvassing.
In contrast, his most prominent rival, Mr Navalny, has been campaigning aggressively all year, reaching out to the most remote parts of the country.
Opinion polls say Putin should easily win the March vote.
Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov would not comment on the Election Commission's decision to bar Mr Navalny but said the "calls for boycott ought to be carefully studied to see if they are breaking the law".
Peskov also rejected suggestions that Mr Navalny's absence on the ballot could dent the legitimacy of Putin's possible re-election. AGENCIES