Small and Medium-Sized Businesses to Finance PM Kasyanov's Nomination for Presidency

Small and medium-sized businesses will finance the nomination of Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov for the presidency. This was announced today by Ruslan Kutayev who is chairman of the committee leading the nomination and a doctor of philosophy, at a conference devoted to the issue. As a Rosbalt correspondent reports, Mr Kutayev said that a decision had been reached at the conference today to create a socio-political union for the nomination of Mikhail Kasyanov for the presidency. No large commercial organizations will be financing this idea.

When asked why today's conference did not take place in Moscow, Mr Kutayev explained that the conference had been held in Nizhni Novgorod to make it clear that the Russian leadership had no involvement in the event and also because this city is located in the centre of Russia.