Final Candidate Nominations Revealed - Speculation Ends And Russian Election Campaign Begins
On Monday, the coming Russian President elections were officially announced. The vote was set for 18 March 2018. By today, the rallies of various political parties have selected their candidates for the presidency.
The first to be mentioned is Vladimir Zhirinovsky, LDPR, and he was the first one to submit the necessary documents to the Central Electoral Commission.
Then, Boris Titov, Presidential Commissioner for Entrepreneurs’ Rights will represent the Party of Growth.
Grigory Yavlinsky is one of the founders of Yabloko Party, so he's become its candidate for the presidency.
The Communist Party, KPRF has nominated a newcomer to the presidential race. Pavel Grudinin doesn't belong to any party. He's the director of a big agricultural company, Sovkhoz im. Lenina.
Pavel Grudinin: "I was sent to Moscow University of Agricultural Engineering by the local authorities, from Sovkhoz im. Lenina. So, yes, this is my Alma Mater".
However, Gennady Zyuganov is going to be Grudinin's campaign leader.
Gennady Zyuganov, KPRF Chairman: "The Congress has unanimously selected Pavel Grudinin as the candidate for the presidency to represent the Communist Party and the Alliance of Patriotic Forces. Pavel asked me to run his campaign. We all agreed that, in the present situation, it's vitally important for us to show that it's possible to overcome the economic crisis and to establish the area of social optimism where the interests of people of labor come first".
Pavel Grudinin: "We need to improve living conditions for the majority of Russian citizens. Today, Gennady Zyuganov has announced my presidential program. Its main paragraph says that I will fight poverty".
On Saturday, the minor party called Civil Initiative announced the TV-host and journalist Ksenia Sobchak as its candidate.
According to the Central Electoral Committee, 17 parties are planning to present their candidates.