Dmitry Gudkov, the last opposition politician to have served as a Duma deputy, has announced plans to run for mayor of Moscow in September 2018.
“I invited you all to officially announce the decision I have taken - to run for Moscow Mayor in September 2018. I intend to be the only democratic candidate,” Gudkov told journalists on Feb. 21.
Gudkov lost his seat as the Russian opposition’s last Duma deputy in the September 2017 parliamentary elections, when he ran in a highly contested Moscow district.
Gudkov was ousted from his party A Just Russia for disagreeing with Putin's line in 2013. He then joined the liberal democratic Yabloko party.
The current mayor of Moscow is Sergei Sobyanin. Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny challenged Sobyanin in the 2013 Moscow mayor election, and almost promted a run off. Gudkov's chances to win the election are considered to be far smaller.
