Prominent Muslim Journalist To Run For Russian President

A prominent Muslim journalist has announced that she will run in Russia’s presidential race against incumbent Vladimir Putin.

Aina Gamzatova is the editor-in-chief of Russia's largest Muslim media holding, an author of books on Islam, the co-founder of the “Pathway” charity, and now a Russian presidential hopeful. She is also married to the chief mufti of the country’s Dagestan region, Akhmad Abdulaev, and serves as his government and public relations advisor.

The 46-year-old was nominated to run for president by an initiative group of some 500 citizens, which met in her hometown of Makhachkala — the capital of Dagestan — in late 2017. This week, Russia’s Central Elections Committee accepted her registration papers.

However, because she is running as a political independent, Gamzatova will now need to collect 300,000 signatures from across the country.

In an interview with the Interfax news agency, Roman Silantyev, a Russian expert on Islam, said Gamzatova holds pro-state views and is an active supporter of strengthening Muslims’ relations with the Russian people and the Russian Orthodox Church. Silantyev believes she could receive two million votes, if not more.

Although Gamzatova joins a growing number of candidates in the upcoming presidential race — including Russian socialite Ksenia Sobchak — pundits say that she has no chance of winning the 2018 elections. It is commonly accepted that Putin will retain his position.

Read More: Socialite Journalist Runs For Russian President

Meanwhile, Alexei Navalny, widely regarded as Putin’s strongest contender, has been banned from running in the 2018 elections as a result of a previous fraud conviction that many regard as politically motivated. Although Navalny has challenged the Central Election Committee's ruling, last week Russia’s Supreme Court upheld the ban. Navalny said he will submit an appeal with the European Court of Human Rights.

The Russian Presidential Election is scheduled for March 18.