The Fourth Appellate Court of General Jurisdiction in Nizhny Novgorod on August 26 annulled the Samara Regional Court's ruling that had stripped Mikhail Matveev, a State Duma deputy from the Communist Party, of his registration for the September elections. The party's press service announced the decision, noting that prosecutors supported the communist in court.
The Samara Regional Court had removed Matveev from the ballot on August 14 following a lawsuit filed by Anna Sarantseva, a candidate from the Party of Pensioners. The grounds included alleged copyright violations over the Microsoft font and old photos on the politician's website, as well as the use of links to his personal site and social media on his campaign page.
After the court ruling, the Samara city administration banned a Communist Party rally in support of Matveev, citing paperwork errors, the threat of drone attacks, and the fact that the protest against the court decision "contradicts the restrictions" imposed by the regional operational headquarters. Matveev initially blamed his rival from United Russia, Alexander Zhivaikin, for initiating the lawsuit, but later, citing his own source, wrote that the real reason was his criticism of Governor Vyacheslav Fedorishchev.
Communist Party leader Gennady Zyuganov, commenting on the removal of party members from elections in various regions, said that "forceful actions against the Communist Party are increasingly taking the most immoral, and sometimes outright ugly forms." He called on the authorities and security forces to "immediately stop the lawlessness and fully ensure the transparency of the electoral process."
Matveev is known for his anti-migrant rhetoric and calls to tighten migration policy. In 2022, he said that by supporting the recognition of the Donetsk and Luhansk people's republics, he "voted for peace, not for war"; now he urges "to be with our army" and wishes it victory.