Russian TV journalist to run against Putin

A Russian television journalist plans to run for president against Russian President Vladimir Putin in the upcoming election.

In a video and in a letter in Russia’s main business daily, Ksenia Sobchak said she plans to run against Putin in the presidential election next March, according to The New York Times.

“You want to show your active position, but your candidate is not authorized to run? You don’t have a candidate? Tick Sobchak,” she wrote in the newspaper.

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“You’re just using a legal and peaceful opportunity to say ‘Enough! I’m fed up with this!’” she wrote.

Aleksei Navalny, the main liberal opposition candidate, is not allowed to run due to a fraud case, but the report said he continues to campaign.

Sobchak’s father was Putin’s mentor, according to the newspaper. He served as the former mayor of St. Petersburg and campaigned for Putin in past elections before he died in 2000.

During an interview following her announcement, Sobchak said she told Putin of her plans to run in a recent interview she did with him about her father.

“He said that every person can make their own decisions and take responsibility for them, too,” said Sobchak. “I didn’t feel that he liked my decision.“

Putin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said Sobchak was “talented.”

“She’ll have to make herself familiar with this from scratch,” Peskov said.

“Politics is different from journalism and from show business. This is a completely different matter,” he added.

Putin is expected to run for a fourth term, but has not yet announced his bid.