SOCHI, October 19. /TASS/. The Kremlin is not working on the campaign of TV showbiz socialite Ksenia Sobchak, who has announced her presidential bid, Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Thursday.
The Kremlin spokesman replied to a question on whether the Russian presidential administration was helping the potential candidate prepare her campaign.
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Peskov neither confirmed nor denied the reports that at a meeting with Sobchak, Vladimir Putin expressed dissatisfaction over her plans to run for president. The Kremlin spokesman explained that he was not at the meeting.
When asked if the Kremlin considers Sobchak as a "worthy contender," Peskov noted that the election campaign for the 2018 presidential race has not kicked off and none of the candidates have been registered.
"Now we can hardly comment on any of Putin’s contenders as Putin himself has not revealed anything on his plans to stand as candidate," he said, noting that now the president is thoroughly focused on his duties.
On Wednesday, Ksenia Sobchak, 35, Russian socialite and TV personality, decided to throw her hat into the ring for the 2018 Russian presidential race. She is the daughter of the late Anatoly Sobchak, the first democratically elected mayor of St. Petersburg, who was once a political mentor to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Sobchak said her candidacy should be considered as an ‘against all candidates’ alternative, inviting all political forces to take on the current Russian establishment.
The candidate also stated that she would push for the admission of opposition figure Alexey Navalny and other liberal opposition candidates to the election.