20/07/2013 12:35
Convicted opposition leader Navalny vows to win Moscow mayor's race
Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, facing a five-year prison term and free pending an appeal, returned to Moscow on Saturday and vowed he will be elected mayor, CNN reported.
Hundreds of supporters and journalists met Navalny's train as he returned from his trial in Kirov, according to state-run Ria Novosti.
"We are a huge, powerful force," Navalny told the crowd. "I'm very glad that we've started to recognize that force ourselves. ... I want to apologize to you for not believing so strongly in you."
His apology referred to his statements Friday that he was not certain he would run for mayor. By Saturday, he was declaring, "We will go to the elections and we will win," Ria Novosti reported.
Navalny was detained overnight Thursday after a court in Kirov city found him guilty of misappropriating about $500,000 in a lumber deal when he was an adviser to the region's governor. He was released Friday.
Navalny denied wrongdoing and said he was targeted because he is one of Russian President Vladimir Putin's most outspoken critics.