Russian opposition politician Lev Shlosberg of the Yabloko party and his colleague Nikolai Kuzmin have been returned to the list of candidates running for deputy in the Pskov regional parliament.
The local Yabloko office in Pskov reported the move on August 4, one day after the two were barred from running in the upcoming election.
Some politicians in the western Russian region said the decision to bar them was tied to Shlosberg and Kuzmin's support for jailed opposition politician Aleksei Navalny, whose network of organizations in June was deemed by the authorities as "extremist."
Also in June, the Moscow City Court handed down its ruling preventing people associated with Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK) and his collection of regional political offices from seeking public office.
The election commission in Pskov said on August 4 that a decision of the Moscow City Court to ban the activities of Navalny’s headquarters, which was the basis for the removal of Shlosberg and Kuzmin as candidates, had not yet come into force.
Shlosberg is one of the best-known figures in the liberal Yabloko party and a regional lawmaker who has openly criticized the Russian government for years.
Russia's election on September 19 will choose members of the State Duma, 39 regional parliaments, and nine regional governors.
In the run-up to the elections, the Kremlin has cracked down on opposition political figures and independent media.
