Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who submitted endorsement papers necessary for his registration as a presidential candidate, center, listens at the Russia's Central Election commission in Moscow, Russia, Monday, Dec. 25, 2017. Russian election officials have formally barred Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny from running for president. (Evgeny Feldman/Navalny Campaign via AP)
Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who submitted endorsement papers necessary for his registration as a presidential candidate, center, listens at the Russia's Central Election commission in Moscow, Russia, Monday, Dec. 25, 2017. Russian election officials have formally barred Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny from running for president. (Evgeny Feldman/Navalny Campaign via AP) Credit: Evgeny Feldman

Moscow — The Kremlin hinted on Tuesday at possible legal repercussions for Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny over his calls for a boycott of the March presidential election.

President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, wouldn’t comment on the Election Commission’s decision to bar Navalny from running but said the “calls for boycott ought to be carefully studied to see if they are breaking the law.”

As expected, Russia’s top election body on Monday formally barred Navalny from a presidential run. Navalny, an anti-corruption campaigner and Putin’s most prominent rival, promptly put out a video statement saying that the ban shows “Putin is terribly scared and is afraid of running against me.” He called on supporters to stay away from the vote in protest.

Meanwhile, Putin’s backers convened on Tuesday afternoon to formally nominate him for presidency after he announced that he will run as an independent candidate.

Prominent lawmakers, film actors, musicians and athletes gathered at a Soviet-era exhibition hall to endorse him. Putin did not attend because of other engagements, Peskov said.