LDPR nominated Leonid Slutsky as a presidential candidate

The LDPR congress nominated party leader Leonid Slutsky as a candidate for the presidency of Russia. His candidacy was unanimously supported by the delegates of the congress held in Moscow.

Slutsky can thus become the first registered presidential candidate. He, as a candidate from a party with a faction in the State Duma, does not need to collect signatures – unlike, for example, Vladimir Putin, who submitted documents as a self-nominated candidate.

Also, the CPRF and “New People” intend to nominate their candidates, while “United Russia” and “Just Russia for Truth” have declared their support for Putin.

Slutsky is the head of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs. He actively supports the foreign policy of Vladimir Putin, including the war against Ukraine. Slutsky headed the party last year after the death of its founder Vladimir Zhirynovsky.

At the LDPR congress, in particular, Viktor Bout, who had previously joined the party, was convicted in the USA for arms trafficking and returned to Russia on exchange, spoke in his support. “We understand that now the whole country must unite in order for us to achieve victory, for our guys to return home with a victory, and everything that the party does, everything that Leonid Slutsky does, is directed precisely at this,” said Bout, in particular .

In February 2018, several female journalists accused Leonid Slutsky of sexual harassment. He himself rejected the accusations and stated that they were custom. The Ethics Commission of the State Duma sided with Slutsky. A number of mass media announced that they would boycott Slutsky’s activities (as a result, most of the independent mass media actually lost the opportunity to work in the State Duma).

Investigations about Slutsky’s activities were repeatedly published, the authors of which were, in particular, associates of Alexei Navalny, DW and Radio Svoboda.