Navalny’s election result opens up his political vistas – policy expert

(Interfax – MOSCOW, September 8, 2013) Opposition activist Alexei Navalny scored high in the Moscow mayoral elections and he has a political future, Center for Political Technologies First Vice-President Alexei Makarkin said.

Acting Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin is leading in the election with 56% of the vote, and Navalny goes second with 29%, according to the Center for Political Technologies’ exit poll. Communist Party candidate Ivan Melnikov goes third with 9%.

“That is a high, very high result for Navalny. It is much higher than forecasted,” Makarkin told Interfax on Sunday.

He said Navalny had an eye-catching election campaign but there was little chance for holding the second round of the Moscow mayoral election.

“If the campaign had lasted for a couple of weeks or even months longer then the second round would have been quite possible. But campaigns have deadlines and no one extends them. Navalny has plenty of reserves but he has to reckon with reality,” the policy expert said.

“Navalny gained 30% of the vote. He has a political future,” Makarkin said.