Yulia Alyoshina, the head of the Altai branch of the Civic Initiative party and Russia's first transgender female politician, has decided not to run in the upcoming gubernatorial elections. Alyoshina announced her withdrawal through her Telegram channel on July 10.
Yulia Alyoshina, the leader of Civic Initiative’s Altai branch, has stated that she has been unable to gather the necessary number of signatures to surpass the municipal filter requirement.
Her party colleagues and Civic Initiative activists have conducted negotiations with municipal councilors, and 19 of them agreed to sign in support of Alyoshina's candidacy. Initially, her support was larger, but later many retracted their endorsement, citing the legislation proposing a complete ban on sex change.
In response, Civic Initiative has declared the election of the Altai Krai governor as undemocratic and has decided not to participate in it.
In 2023, the Communist Party branch in Primorsky Krai opted to boycott the election for the region's head. The Communists accused the authorities of limiting choices, manipulating the electoral system, and obstructing the work of observers. Party representatives expressed opposition to the three-day voting period, field operations of commissions, and the use of electronic voting machines. They encouraged Primorye residents to spoil their ballots during the voting process.
Similarly, the Yabloko party in the Pskov region declined to nominate a candidate, believing that it is impossible to elect an opposition candidate during times of conflict.