Russia's impending presidential polls once again took centre stage in
the run-up to December 2 parliamentary elections when the government
newspaper Rossiikaya Gazeta on Wednesday published the official date
for the vote.
The declaration immediately launched the application process for
the presidential election, to be held on March 2, 2008. Campaigning
will allowed from February 2 to February 29, according to the Central
Election Commission.
But with the vote just four months away and no favourite yet
emerging, the elections are predicted to go to whichever candidate is
backed by President Vladimir Putin, who is barred from a third
consecutive term.
Putin, whose popularity ratings have skyrocketed since he succeeded
Boris Yeltsin eight years ago, has proved that his political influence
is the only outside factor.
In September, he unexpectedly replaced Russia's prime minister with
the relatively unknown Viktor Zubkov, 66, who is now one of the leading
candidates for the presidency alongside first deputy prime ministers
Sergei Ivanov and Dmitry Medvedev.
As voters prepare to go to the polls Sunday to elect a new
parliament, the Putin-led party United Russia is expected to win by a
landslide.
Communist Party leader Gennady Zyganov and the head of the
ultranationalist Liberal Democratic Party (LDPR) have previously
announced their intention to run for president.
Other candidates wishing to run as independents must collect at
least 2 million signatures, 10 times more than needed by the 11 parties
registered for the parliamentary elections.
Former chess champion and opposition leader Garry Kasparov
announced his intention to run in October after the opposition
coalition failed to coalesce around one candidate, and five opposition
candidates have put themselves forth including former prime minister
Mikhail Kasyanov.
Boris Nemtsov, who heads the Union of Right Forces (SPS) and Leader
of the Yabloko party Grigory Yavlinsky will stand as liberal candidates
in Russia's fourth-ever presidential elections.
To run, a candidate must be over 35 and a resident in Russia for a minimum of 10 years.
It is unclear whether this will disqualify hopeful Vladimir Bukovsky, a Soviet dissident residing in Britain since the 1970s.
