Russian opposition leader's presidential bid rejected

MOSCOW

The Russian election commission on Monday rejected opposition Alexey Navalny's application to run in the upcoming presidential elections in March 2018 in the country.

In a statement, Central Election Commission said Navalny cannot be a candidate for the presidential elections because of corruption charges and sentences against him.

Navalny, 41, an opposition activist and the founder of the Anti-Corruption Fund, had officially applied to the Central Election Commission to challenge President Vladimir Putin, despite objections from Russian authorities due to lawsuits against him.

Navalny previously received multiple sentences over a number of charges, including fraud and calls to attend "unauthorized" rallies.