The Russian Central Election Commission will most likely exclude veteran liberal Grigory Yavlinsky and Irkutsk Governor Dmitry Mezentsev from the presidential race once the check of their collected signatures is completed, the Kommersant business daily newspaper said on Monday.
The only independent presidential candidate who submitted a valid list of signatures was billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov. His list contained less than five percent invalid signatures, the Central Election Commission said on Monday.
The first sample of collected signature lists from Mezentsev and Yavlinsky showed more than five percent of the signatures invalid, which is over the legal limit.
After the first check, more than 20 percent of Yavlinsky's signatures were discarded, according to the newspaper. His total number of signatures presently stands at under the two million required by law and has been rejected.
Kommersant said the main objection was that some of the signature sheets were photocopies, but in accordance to law, the original signature lists should be submitted.
Yabloko’s chairman, Sergei Mitrokhin, believes the number of additional signature sheets in support of Yavlinsky is sufficient for his registration, but there is always a way to find fault with any of the formalities.
“This [registration of the candidate or the denial of it] is purely a political decision,” Mitrokhin said.
“I feel that Yavlinsky will be excluded from the elections,” he added.
CEC member Elena Dubrovina said on Monday that a second check will follow. “The first check showed that Yavlinsky and Mezentsev’s percentage [of invalid signatures] is higher, so a second check is in process,” she said.
Independent candidates had to submit two million signatures to the Central Election Commission.
“The verification of signatures has not yet been completed so it’s too early to draw conclusions,” Dubrovina said.
Candidates from political parties are not required to collect signatures. Registered presidential candidates from parties are current prime minister and leader of the ruling United Russia, Vladimir Putin, A Just Russia leader Sergei Mironov, Communist leader Gennady Zyuganov and Liberal Democratic Party leader Vladimir Zhirinovsky.
On Friday, Prokhorov published his election program. His proposals include political reforms such as cutting the presidential term from six to four years, restoring direct elections for regional governors, restricting the presidential and gubernatorial time in office to two terms and reducing the party election threshold to three from seven percent.
Prokhorov said on Monday he would not endorse any other candidate if he does not make it to a possible second round of elections.
“I will never give my constituency's votes to anyone,” Prokhorov told reporters. “My supporters will decide on their own what to do.”
