Russian Parties Publish Lists of Candidates

Election associations have determined their party lists
At a session of the RF Central Election Commission on September 15 the first electoral bloc was registered for participation in the Duma elections. This is the bloc called "New Line - Automobile Russia"; it is created by political parties Liberal Russia, Russia's Republican Party and the all-Russia public association "Movement of Russia's Motorists".

The Central Election Commission has already certified the lists of candidates of this bloc in the federal election districts and single member constituencies. The federal list of the electoral bloc "New Line - Automobile Russia" is headed by Duma deputy Viktor Pokhmelkin, Ex-Minister of Finance Boris Fedorov and Vice-president of Movement of Russia's Motorists Leonid Olshansky, Vsluh.Ru reports.

According to the Central Election Commission, 29 of pre-election meetings of parties and blocs have been already held; three electoral associations have already certified their lists of candidates.

Yabloko was the first party to announce its lists. There are no new names on the list that shocked the electorate: the federal list of 17 candidates consists of Grigory Yavlinsky, Vladimir Lukin, Igor Artemyev, Sergey Mitrokhin and Alexey Arbatov. The Moscow list of candidates is headed by Sergey Ivanenko; the list of candidates in St.Petersburg is headed by human rights activist Sergey Kovalev and bard Alexander Gorodnitsky. In general, the party has proposed 122 candidates in the general party list and 115 people in single member constituency. 

The SPS group of three candidates consists of Anatoly Chubais, Boris Nemtsov and Irina Khakamada. The struggle Anatoly Chubais faces is rather difficult: he must push the party through to the Duma. The right-wing forces believe that the charisma of the key figure of Russia's power engineering is still actually very strong and may help the party.

But it is quite obvious the whole of the situation is explained not with the charisma of Anatoly Chubais, but with the money he is ready to spend on the elections.

The SPS regional lists of candidates consist of Yegor Gaidar (representing Moscow), Boris Nadezhdin (the Moscow Region) and Alfred Kokh (the number two candidate in the St.Petersburg list after the Deputy Chairman of the St.Petersburg Legislative Assembly Yury Gladkov).

This is interesting that the number three candidate in the list of candidates in Russia's western region (the Tver, Leningrad and Kaliningrad Regions) is vodka tycoon Yury Shefler. At the beginning of the year the man was put on a wanted list and had to leave Russia immediately. The RF General Prosecutor's Office became interested in the businessman on the advice of the former Deputy Agriculture Minister Vladimir Loginov, the man with whom Yury Shefler was fighting for the right to own Soyuzplodoimport Company. A brief commentary to candidate Yury Shefler says: "Date of birth - September 10, 1967; higher education; residence - Moscow; occupation- unemployed at present", Gazeta.Ru reports.

As for the People's Party, they formed the list of candidates on Sunday; the top three candidates were approved even before the party session. Many of the party members were surprised to see that now former director of a large Tyumen enterprise Gennady Raikov is accompanied by retired colonel, presidential adviser for the Cossack problems Gennady Troshev and adviser of Russia's Patriarchy Alexy II, Nikolay Derzhavin. Only Nikolay Derzhavin was present at the last session of the party, but the candidate was always silent.

Before proceeding to the closed part of the session when People's Party discussed the lists of its candidates, party leader Gennady Raikov delivered a speech. As is seen from the speech, the party slogans at the forthcoming elections will mention Russia as a strong country, touch upon revival of Russia's spiritual values, criticism of sexual minorities and appeals to revival of the death penalty. The audience applauded the phrase very actively.

In general, the party has nominated 211 candidates on the federal list and 62 candidates from single member constituencies. In fact, candidates of the party are rather unknown people: several directors of enterprises, member of Russia's Composers Union Eduard Khanok and assistant of Deputy Sergey Shashurin, Abbasali Asadulla ogly. The list of candidates representing the Moscow Region is headed by the leader of the Union of Orthodox People Valery Lebedev and activist of People's Party in Abkhazia Yakub Lakoba.

According to the party Leader Gennady Raikov, this is not a problem for the party to overcome the barrier of 5 per cent of votes necessary to get to the Duma. He added: "The outcome of the campaign depends upon people working in Russia's regions. If they are active enough the party will be able to get even 10 per cent."