Nikolay Kharitonov
Николай Харитонов
Kharitonov in 2023
Chairman of the State Duma Committee on the Development of Far Eastern and Arctic regions
Assumed office
21 December 2011
Member of the State Duma
Assumed office
11 January 1994
ConstituencyBarabinsk (1994–2007)
Krasnodar Krai at-large (2011–2016)
Armavir (2016–2021)
National, at-large (2007–2011, since 2021)
Personal details
Born
Nikolay Mikhailovich Kharitonov

(1948-10-30) 30 October 1948
Rezino, Novosibirsk Oblast, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union (now Russia)
Political partyCommunist Party (since 2008)
Agrarian Party (until 2007)
Alma materNovosibirsk State Agricultural University and Academy of National Economy and Public Administration
OccupationPolitician

Nikolay Mikhailovich Kharitonov (Russian: Николай Михайлович Харитонов; born 30 October 1948) is a Russian politician, who has served in the State Duma since 1994.

In 2004, Kharitonov led an unsuccssful bid to unseat incumbent Vladimir Putin in the presidential elections, coming in second place.[1]

Previously a member of the Agrarian Party, he joined the Communist Party in protest of the Agrarians' cooperation with the ruling United Russia in 2007.[2][3]

He is running for President for a second time in the 2024 presidential election in what will be a rematch against Putin.

2004 Presidential campaign

Kharitonov was the Communist Party's nominee in the 2004 Russian presidential election.

At the time, some observers perceived him to be a weak candidate, lacking in both name recognition and charisma.[4][5] Russians were largely indifferent or unaware of his candidacy.[6] He ran on the slogan “For the native land and the popular will".[5] and spoke frequently of the virtues of Leninism.[5] Kharitonov proposed re-erecting the statue of Soviet secret police founder Felix Dzerzhinsky, which formerly stood in front of the Lubyanka Building until it was pulled down in 1991.[3][5]

Kharitonov was strongly supported by party leader Gennady Zyuganov. Many of Kharitonov's advertisements featured Zyuganov speaking on behalf of his candidacy.[5] Although Zyuganov had originally wanted for the party to abstain from participating in the elections to protest what he considered to be the "undemocratic nature" of the election, he could not coalesce the party in agreement on non-participation and ultimately supported Kharitonov.[5][4]

Putin's camp believed that Kharitonov's candidacy benefited their cause by helping to increase turnout and weakening Sergey Glazyev's vote share.[5] The Communist Party had been besieged by fierce opposition ads during the preceding legislative election in 2003. However, Kharitonov escaped similar opposition ads, as Putin's campaign sought not to give him a platform.[5] During the campaign, Kharitonov threatened to drop out of the race if he did not receive live coverage for his speeches just as Putin had. Following his complaints, the RTR television network agreed to broadcast live coverage of a speech Kharitonov gave to his supporters in Tula on 4 March2004.[5]

Kharitonov eventually lost the election, coming second place with 14% of the vote.

2024 Presidential campagin

Kharitonov with Chinese Ambassador Zhang Hanhui shortly prior to announcing his presidential run

Kharitonov announced that he would challenge Putin to a rematch in the 2024 Russian presidential election. Despite opposing many of Putin's domestic policies, he does not oppose the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and as such has been placed on the sanctions list of the United Kingdom and the United States.[7][8]

References

  1. ↑ "Landslide Putin shrugs off critics". CNN.com. Archived from the original on 7 October 2012. Retrieved 18 April 2011.
  2. ↑ "Putin's contenders in presidential race". People's Daily Online. March 12, 2004. Retrieved 18 April 2011.
  3. 1 2 The Associated Press (March 14, 2004). "Candidates running against Putin". USATODAY.com. Retrieved 18 April 2011.
  4. 1 2 "RUSSIAN ELECTION WATCH Vol.3, No.4" (PDF). Harvard University (Belfer Center for Science & International Affairs, Davis Center for Russian & Eurasian Studies) and Indiana University-Bloomington. January 2004. Retrieved October 29, 2018.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "RUSSIAN ELECTION WATCH Vol.3, No.6" (PDF). Harvard University (Belfer Center for Science & International Affairs, Davis Center for Russian & Eurasian Studies) and Indiana University-Bloomington. March 2004. Retrieved October 23, 2018.
  6. ↑ "База данных ФОМ > Н.Харитонов как кандидат в президенты". Bd.fom.ru. Retrieved 2022-03-16.
  7. ↑ "CONSOLIDATED LIST OF FINANCIAL SANCTIONS TARGETS IN THE UK" (PDF). Retrieved 16 April 2023.
  8. ↑ "U.S. Treasury Sanctions Russia's Defense-Industrial Base, the Russian Duma and Its Members, and Sberbank CEO". U.S. Department of the Treasury. Retrieved 2022-04-10.
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