Russia’s Central Electoral Commission (CEC) has refused to register Vladimir Bukovsky as a candidate for the March 2nd presidential election.  The renowned writer and Soviet dissident was primarily denied on the grounds that he holds a British residence permit, the ITAR-TASS news agency reported.

Bukovsky, who served 12 years in Soviet prisons, labor camps and psychiatric hospitals, fled to the United Kingdom upon his release in 1976.  He holds both Russian and British citizenship.

The CEC also noted some technicalities regarding education and occupation against Bukovsky’s application.  For instance, the candidate had listen “writer” as his occupation, but did not include any documents to confirm this.

Bukovsky’s supporters have promised to appeal the decision, and have pledged to go to court if necessary.

Bukovsky is not the only candidate who has encountered difficulties.  The CEC also refused registration for Nikolai Kuryanovich, and Arkhangelsk mayor Aleksandr Donskoi, who has been imprisoned for what he calls “political reasons.” United Civil Front leader Garry Kasparov was similarly forced to abandon his campaign after pressure from above.  

In fact, the only opposition candidate who has officially been allowed to register is Union of Right Forces leader Boris Nemtsov.  The CEC accepted his candidacy on December 22nd, and he now needs to raise two million signatures by January 16th, 2008.

Vladimir Ryzhkov, an independent State Duma representative, summed up the sentiment: “The candidate, who is unwanted by the Kremlin, will be removed from the election one way or another.”

Bukovsky, who had fled the Soviet Union in the 1970s, returned to Russia this year to pursue a presidential campaign, and has been a critic of President Vladimir Putin.

At the last minute, the hall Bukovsky’s supporters had booked backed out of its contract. The administration of the “Korolevsky” (King’s) concert hall told Roman Dobrokhotov, the leader of the “We” movement, that they had submitted to pressure from the FSB. The Russian security agency apparently had a “chat” with the management. Fortunately, Bukovsky’s application to the Central Electoral Commission had listed an alternate address, and he still plans to announce his candidacy on Sunday.

Another candidate is facing even firmer resistance, and is now behind bars for what he says are political reasons. On December 14th, Aleksandr Donskoi, received notice from the “Severny” (Northern) Cultural Center that they could no longer host his initiative group. In a letter, the management claimed that the building needed emergency repairs, and that it was “necessary to turn off the electricity on the 15th, 16th, and 17th of December.” Donskoi’s supporters believe the actual motives were political.

Donskoi, who is the mayor of the northern city of Arkhangelsk, has had problems ever since he announced plans to stand for president in February. All of a sudden, numerous investigations of corruption and perjury began to surface. The mayor was accused of falsifying his university diploma, and using his status as mayor to improve his business dealings. In September, he was sentenced to a year’s imprisonment and fined 75 thousand rubles. Since August, he has been behind bars for a third charge he calls bogus: abusing his power of office, and using city resources to hire private security for himself and his family.

Earlier this week, President Vladimir Putin endorsed Dmitri Medvedev as a presidential candidate. Many other potential contenders have since stepped down, as running against Medvedev is a clear signal of opposition to both Putin and the Kremlin. Those who remain have encountered some difficulties. Garry Kasparov, the leader of the Other Russia coalition, has been forced to rescind his candidacy after the venue he had scheduled pulled out of their contract.

With Putin’s endorsement, Medvedev should have no difficulty in sweeping the election and garnering a majority of votes. Which makes the sharp pressure on the opposition even more alarming.