Tycoon to take on Putin for presidency
Source: Agencies |
December 13, 2011, Tuesday
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MIKHAIL Prokhorov, one of Russia's richest tycoons and the owner of the New Jersey Nets basketball team, said Monday he will run against Prime Minister Vladimir Putin in the March presidential election.
Prokhorov has been cautious not to cross Putin's path in the past, but the billionaire may pose a serious challenge to Putin, whose authority has been dented by alleged fraud during Russia's December 4 parliamentary elections.
Putin's party only won about 50 percent of that vote, compared to 64 percent four years ago, and the fraud allegations have allowed opposition parties to successfully mount massive anti-Putin protests in Russia.
On Sunday, President Dmitry Medvedev promised on his Facebook page that the alleged vote fraud will be investigated. But Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, predicted yesterday that the probe will show that little vote fraud occurred and that it had no effect on the outcome of the ballot.
"If you take all the cases of these alleged violations or whatever was published online, the total will be less than 1 percent of the overall number of votes," Peskov said.
Peskov's comment signaled that Putin, who served as Russia's president in 2000-2008 and only became prime minister because of term limits, is holding firm, despite the protests.
On Saturday tens of thousands of people in Moscow and smaller numbers in more than 60 other cities protested over alleged election fraud and called for an end to Putin's rule.
"Society is waking up," Prokhorov said at a Moscow news conference.
He has a good chance of appealing to a growing opposition, which includes middle-class residents angered by Putin's bid to reclaim the presidency.
Prokhorov wouldn't say if he would join an opposition rally planned later this month in Moscow but said he agrees with many anti-Putin slogans shouted during Saturday's protests.
Prokhorov's bid follows a botched performance in the parliamentary race, when he formed a liberal party under the tacit support of the Kremlin, then abandoned the project under what he called Kremlin pressure.
Prokhorov has been cautious not to cross Putin's path in the past, but the billionaire may pose a serious challenge to Putin, whose authority has been dented by alleged fraud during Russia's December 4 parliamentary elections.
Putin's party only won about 50 percent of that vote, compared to 64 percent four years ago, and the fraud allegations have allowed opposition parties to successfully mount massive anti-Putin protests in Russia.
On Sunday, President Dmitry Medvedev promised on his Facebook page that the alleged vote fraud will be investigated. But Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, predicted yesterday that the probe will show that little vote fraud occurred and that it had no effect on the outcome of the ballot.
"If you take all the cases of these alleged violations or whatever was published online, the total will be less than 1 percent of the overall number of votes," Peskov said.
Peskov's comment signaled that Putin, who served as Russia's president in 2000-2008 and only became prime minister because of term limits, is holding firm, despite the protests.
On Saturday tens of thousands of people in Moscow and smaller numbers in more than 60 other cities protested over alleged election fraud and called for an end to Putin's rule.
"Society is waking up," Prokhorov said at a Moscow news conference.
He has a good chance of appealing to a growing opposition, which includes middle-class residents angered by Putin's bid to reclaim the presidency.
Prokhorov wouldn't say if he would join an opposition rally planned later this month in Moscow but said he agrees with many anti-Putin slogans shouted during Saturday's protests.
Prokhorov's bid follows a botched performance in the parliamentary race, when he formed a liberal party under the tacit support of the Kremlin, then abandoned the project under what he called Kremlin pressure.
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