Kasyanov not allowed to run for Presidency

The only significant challenger of Dmitry Medvedev former Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov who has a little chance to win the March, 2. elections was not allowed to the ballot, the AP reports.

Photo: Kasyanov not allowed to run for Presidency

Kasyanov not allowed to run for Presidency

That could be a great chance for Kremlin critics to call elections unfair and undemocratic.

But Nikolai Konkin, secretary of the Central Elections Commission, said a check of the signatures found more than 80,000 to be invalid. In Russia presidential aspirants not affiliated with political parties must submit 2 million signatures supporting their bid to get on the ballot. Kasyanov's campaign said it turned in 2,067,000 signatures.

The Central Election Commission is expected to make a formal ruling on the issue later in the day.

Mikhail Mikhailovich Kasyanov (born 8 December 1957 ) was the Prime Minister of Russia from January 2000 to February 2004.

In 2006 Kasyanov stated his desire to run for President of Russia in 2008, he was nominated as a candidate in December 2007 and on 16 January 2008 he stated that he had finished collecting the 2 million signatures necessary to run as a candidate.

He is the leader of People's Democratic Union ( Russia ), ex-member of opposition coalition "The Other Russia".