On Thursday, the Civic Initiative party of Russia announced that government officials are attempting to dissolve it due to “inactivity.” This comes a year after the center-right party put forward the only anti-war candidate for the presidential race in 2024.

According to a statement on the party’s Telegram channel, the Ministry of Justice has requested the Supreme Court to disband Civic Initiative because it has not participated in elections for the last seven years.

Established in 2013 with a liberal-democratic ideology, Civic Initiative denounced the government’s action as “arbitrary” and “entirely political.”

The statement highlighted that candidates from the party are denied registration and then criticized for their lack of electoral participation.

The latest candidate nominated by Civic Initiative, Boris Nadezhdin, was disqualified from the 2024 presidential election due to alleged irregularities with his endorsement signatures. Despite the repressive environment against dissent during the war in Ukraine, his brief pro-peace campaign garnered significant support from Russians opposed to the conflict.

Following his disqualification, Nadezhdin stepped down from his position as a municipal deputy in the Moscow region and filed for bankruptcy.

The party pointed out in its statement that the seven-year inactivity period mentioned by the Ministry of Justice would not conclude until 2027. It cautioned that disbanding the party would hinder its candidates from participating in future regional elections.

“Regardless of any legal decisions, we will persist in our struggle for freedom, democracy, human rights, social justice, a market economy, and a peaceful foreign policy,” the party affirmed.

It remains uncertain when the Supreme Court will address the Ministry of Justice’s request.