The struggle for power

Putin Bars Kasparov Party from Vote
Thursday, October 11, 2007 10:14 AM
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MOSCOW — Russian electoral officials have barred a vocal opposition alliance from participating in December parliamentary elections, a spokeswoman for the group said Wednesday.

As expected, the Central Election Commission declined to register a candidate list submitted by Other Russia which is co-led by former world chess champion Garry Kasparov, spokeswoman Lyudmila Mamina said.

The group — which unites liberals, leftists and nationalists opposed to President Vladimir Putin’s policies — had submitted papers last week in what Kasparov acknowledged was a quixotic effort meant mainly to draw attention to the tight Kremlin control over Russian politics.

In a letter to the group, election commission chief Vladimir Churov Other Russia was barred because it was not registered as a political party, Mamina said. Only registered parties can take part in the Dec. 2 vote.

Only a few parties — most of them pro-Putin — are expected to win seats in the State Duma, Russia’s lower house of parliament. Putin has initiated a series of laws in recent years that critics say have further narrowed the political field, favoring Kremlin-backed forces.

Kasparov is the driving force behind the coalition, and on Wednesday it presented him as its candidate for the March presidential election.

Putin is barred from seeking a third straight term and has indicated he will name a favored successor, who would be virtually certain to win because of the president’s popularity and the Kremlin’s control over the media and other political levers.

Source: News Max