Sign up for our daily briefing
Make your busy days simpler with Axios AM/PM. Catch up on what's new and why it matters in just 5 minutes.
Catch up on coronavirus stories and special reports, curated by Mike Allen everyday
Catch up on coronavirus stories and special reports, curated by Mike Allen everyday
Denver news in your inbox
Catch up on the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Denver
Des Moines news in your inbox
Catch up on the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Des Moines
Minneapolis-St. Paul news in your inbox
Catch up on the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Twin Cities
Tampa Bay news in your inbox
Catch up on the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Tampa Bay
Charlotte news in your inbox
Catch up on the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Charlotte
Alexei Navalny (center) at a 2016 march in Moscow marking the one-year anniversary of the killing of opposition leader Boris Nemtsov. Photo: Mikhail Svetlov / Getty Images
Russia's Central Electoral Commission has barred opposition leader Alexei Navalny from running in March's presidential election against Russian President Vladimir Putin, per the BBC. Navalny was convicted of embezzlement earlier this year after a 2013 verdict on the same charges was overturned by the European Court of Human Rights, which determined that he had received an unfair trial.
Why it matters: Navalny is seen as the only person who can credibly challenge Putin, who is running a fourth term as president, in next year's race. After the decision, he called for his supporters to boycott the presidential vote in protest.