Russian opposition leader Navalny boycotts vote

Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny says he has boycotted the presidential election and is advising other Russians to do the same.

Navalny has been barred from the presidential campaign because of a criminal conviction widely seen as politically motivated. He has urged his supporters not to vote because of the absence of any real competition in Sunday's election, which President Vladimir Putin is set to win easily.

Navalny says in a video posted on YouTube that "on election day, one should usually want to say 'I voted,' but in fact I'm here to say that I didn't go to vote."

He criticized the seven contenders challenging Putin for failing to protest ballot stuffing and other irregularities that were tainting the election, saying on his blog that "such candidates aren't worthy of your vote."