Russia - Inglese

Opposition candidate withdraws

[Times - World]

<b>MOSCOW</b> The number of candidates willing to challenge the Kremlin’s choice for Russia’s president dwindled further when Boris Nemtsov, the leader of a pro-business party, dropped out of the race. Mr Nemtsov, a former deputy prime minister, said that he was withdrawing so as not to split the vote with what he described as the only other remaining candidate from the democratic opposition, Mikhail Kasyanov, the former Prime Minister. He called on Mr Kasyanov and Gennady Zyuganov, the Communist Party leader, to demand equal opportunities to campaign, including on state-controlled national television. If the Kremlin refused, Mr Nemtsov said that they should withdraw their candidacies rather than lend legitimacy to the March election. President Putin, who is barred from seeking a third straight term, has backed Dmitry Medvedev, his protegé. While Mr Medvedev, a first deputy prime minister, receives daily coverage on national television, opposition candidates are rarely shown. <i>(AP)</i>