Yavlinsky may run for Russian prez in '08: IFAX

Moscow, June 17: Grigory Yavlinsky, a liberal reformer and critic of Russian leader Vladimir Putin, may run in the 2008 presidential election, Interfax news agency said.

The ruling body of the Yabloko party, which backs democratic values and free-market policies, put forward Yavlinsky yesterday as its candidate for the March 2008 elections.

Yavlinsky, 55, said the final decision would be made at a party conference and that other candidates from the party may also want to run for president, though he declined to name them, Interfax reported.

Yavlinsky, a former deputy prime minister, has accused Putin of rolling back democracy and making elections a Kremlin show.

The Kremlin says elections are free and fair.

Putin says he will step down in 2008 after two four-year terms in office. By far the country's most popular politician, he has not yet said who he would like to become president.

Yabloko, once a key player in Russian politics, has lost much of its influence during Putin's presidency.

Analysts say rivalry between Yabloko and the Union of Right Forces (SPS) has divided the liberal vote.

Yavlinsky won 7.4 per cent of the vote in the first round of 1996 presidential elections, and 5.8 per cent of the vote in the 2000 presidential poll. He did not take part in 2004 elections.

REUTERS

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