- Sputnik International
Russia
The latest news and stories from Russia. Stay tuned for updates and breaking news on defense, politics, economy and more.

Prokhorov: New Party Will Be 'Non-Political'

© RIA Novosti . Grigoriy Sysoev / Go to the mediabankMikhail Prokhorov said he is creating a "non-political" party seeking to unite Russia's civil society
Mikhail Prokhorov said he is creating a non-political party seeking to unite Russia's civil society - Sputnik International
Subscribe
Billionaire businessman and Putin election challenger Mikhail Prokhorov said on Tuesday he is creating a "non-political" party seeking to unite Russia's civil society.

Billionaire businessman and Putin election challenger Mikhail Prokhorov said on Tuesday he is creating a "non-political" party seeking to unite Russia's civil society.

"It will be an absolutely new party. It will be built, if you will, according to a non-political principle," Prokhorov said at a news conference.

The tycoon and owner of the U.S. NBA New Jersey Nets basketball team is the only independent candidate running in Sunday's presidential polls, which Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, who held the presidential post between 2000 and 2008, is almost certain to win.

"No one has ever done this before, and we'd like to be the first to create a party which will unite our civil society," Prokhorov, seen by critics as a Kremlin project designed to split the opposition, told the Moscow news conference.

The tycoon, ranked by Forbes as Russia's third richest man with a fortune of around $18 billion, took the leadership of a pro-Kremlin party last year but was ousted following a split. He accused the then deputy Kremlin chief of staff Vladislav Surkov of orchestrating his downfall.

He has also attended at least two major anti-government protests in Moscow, which erupted after December's disputed parliamentary elections won by Putin's United Russia party.

In Moscow on Tuesday, Prokhorov said his new party would "have no leaders" and would be a "superstructure" above existing parties.

He earlier described it as an "independent right-wing party" and said its offices would be opening across Russia after the March 4 vote.

Newsfeed
0
To participate in the discussion
log in or register
loader
Chats
Заголовок открываемого материала