Monday, December 12, 2011

Russian Presidential Politics Has Just Gotten Interesting

Russian billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov. © RIA Novosti. Artyom Zhitenev

Billionaire and Ex-Minister To Oppose Putin In Russian Presidential Election -- New York Times

MOSCOW — Amid a crescendo of complaints from Russians fed up with the country’s tightly controlled political system, two prominent figures — a billionaire industrialist and the recently ousted finance minister — sought to fill a void in the opposition leadership on Monday.

The billionaire, Mikhail D. Prokhorov, who owns shares in a major gold mining company and an array of other ventures in Russia as well as the New Jersey Nets basketball franchise in the United States, said he would run for president, challenging Prime Minister Vladimir V. Putin.

Read more ....

More News On A New Contender Against Putin for Russia`s Presidency

Russian tycoon to compete with Putin in election -- AP
Russian billionaire to run against Putin -- CNN
Russian billionaire challenges Putin for Kremlin. -- RIA Novosti
Billionaire to Challenge Putin in Presidential Race -- Wall Street Journal
Billionaire Prokhorov to Challenge Putin in Kremlin Race -- Bloomberg Businessweek
Russian billionaire owner of N.J. Nets to run against Putin -- Washington Post
Russian oligarch to challenge Putin -- Financial Times
Billionaire as Russia's president? The 5 richest men in Russia. -- Christian Science Monitor

My Comment: He is not going to put a dent in Putin`s drive to the Presidency. If anything .... he will only help to split the "anyone but Putin" vote.

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