Boris Nadezhdin plans to stand as a candidate in the presidential elections

Politician and former State Duma deputy from the Union of Right Forces Boris Nadezhdin plans to take part in the presidential elections in March 2024. He told Vedomosti about this. Political scientist Stanislav Belkovsky (recognized by the Ministry of Justice as a foreign agent) was the first to report this on social networks. Nadezhdin told Vedomosti that he announced his intention at a meeting of the Central Election Commission back in August (there is no such information in the public domain).

Nadezhdin told Vedomosti that several parties are negotiating with him about his support, but he is also considering the option of self-nomination, although “organizationally it will be difficult.” The politician explains his decision by his desire to represent the interests of tens of millions of Russians in the elections, who, like him, are dissatisfied with the policies of President Vladimir Putin. He stressed that he is not conducting any negotiations with the Kremlin.

Vedomosti wrote about an election scenario with the participation of a “liberal candidate” on September 19. As an example of such a possible candidate, four Vedomosti interlocutors close to the presidential administration named the journalist, former editor-in-chief of Ekho Moskvy (the station’s broadcasting was suspended in 2022) Alexei Venediktov, recognized by the Ministry of Justice as a foreign agent. Moreover, the interlocutors said that it was assumed that the liberal candidate would come out with an anti-war agenda and his result – as the authorities assume, would be low – would show that the Russians do not support such a position. Venediktov himself told Vedomosti that he does not plan and will not take part in the elections.

It is too early to say whether decisions have been made regarding the participation of Nadezhdin or another liberal candidate, says Mikhail Vinogradov, president of the St. Petersburg Politics Foundation. “Nadezhdin is interesting because he has niche fame – noticeable enough for those who follow him or relatively liberal forces, but has no fame outside of it. Of the candidates who ran in elections before, he is more reminiscent of political strategist Andrei Bogdanov: he is organic in his agenda, but does not pretend to be expansionist,” Vinogradov believes. Next comes the question of interpretation, Vinogradov believes: “But it’s worth waiting for a decision to be made.”

Nadezhdin is now a member of the Council of Deputies of the Moscow region Dolgoprudny. He began his political career with the Dolgoprudny Council of Deputies, where he was a deputy in 1990–1997. Since 1991 he was a member of the Democratic Reform Movement. In December 1995, he was nominated to the State Duma of the second convocation, but did not win the elections. In 1997–1998 was an adviser to First Deputy Prime Minister Boris Nemtsov, as well as an assistant to the Prime Minister, the current first deputy head of the presidential administration, Sergei Kiriyenko.

From the beginning of 1999, he was a member of the political council of the all-Russian public political movement “New Force” of Kiriyenko, which later became part of the Union of Right Forces. In 1999, he was elected to the State Duma of the third convocation from the Union of Right Forces. Nadezhdin ran for the State Duma several more times, but did not get there again. In 2008–2011 was in the Right Cause party. In February 2012, Nadezhdin sent to the election headquarters of all candidates for the post of President of Russia, including Putin, an offer to become a confidant. As a result, he became an observer for Putin, as well as a confidant of the leader of A Just Russia, Sergei Mironov. In 2016, he participated in the United Russia primaries before the State Duma elections, but lost them. As a result, in those elections he headed the regional group of the Growth Party, but did not join the party itself. In 2019, he was elected to the Council of Deputies of Dolgoprudny from A Just Russia.

In 2021, he participated in the State Duma elections from this party, but lost them in the constituency to United Russia member Irina Rodnina. In 2023, he tried to take part in the elections for governor of the Moscow region, but did not pass the municipal filter.