Kasparov alliance banned from December election
Former world chess champion Garry Kasparov's opposition alliance has been barred from participating in December's parliamentary elections, a spokeswoman for the group said today.
As expected, the Central Election Commission declined to register a candidate list submitted by Other Russia, spokeswoman Lyudmila Mamina said.
The group - which unites liberals, left-wingers and nationalists opposed to President Vladimir Putin's policies - had submitted papers last week in what co-leader Kasparov acknowledged was a move to draw attention to the tight Kremlin control over Russian politics.
In a letter to the group, election commission chief Vladimir Churov cited its lack of registration as a political party as the reason for the decision, Mamina said. Only registered parties can take part in the December 2 vote.
Only a few parties - most of them pro-Putin - are expected to win seats in the State Duma, Russia's lower house of parliament.
Putin has initiated a series of laws in recent years that critics say have further narrowed the political field, favouring Kremlin-backed forces.
Kasparov is the driving force behind the coalition, and today it presented him as its candidate for the March presidential election.
Putin is barred from seeking a third straight term and has indicated he will name a favoured successor, who would be virtually certain to win because of the president's popularity and the Kremlin's control over the media and other political levers.
Earlier this month, Putin said he would lead the ticket of the main pro-Kremlin party in the parliamentary elections and could later take the prime minister's job - a hint that he could remain at the helm and eclipse a weaker president.
