"Medvedev vs. Putin would be the best thing for Russia"
Dmitry Medvedev and Vladimir Putin both running as presidential candidates would promote the introduction of the classic two-party system in Russia, says Fred Weir from the Christian Science Monitor.
ґIn previous years the Kremlin establishment traditionally put up one candidate, and only after the Duma elections had taken place.
In addition to Medvedev and Putin, billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov has emerged as the most interesting case among the fresh Russian presidential candidates. He is trying to build his own party, the Right Cause, which suggests he is entering politics for the long haul, argued Weir.
"He has got a lot of money and a lot of personal charisma and smarts, he is definitely a player," Weir said. But the 3 percent that Prokhorov`s party is polling, he admitted, is "not even enough to hurdle the barrier to get into the Duma, much less in terms of presidential ambitions."
Both Communist leader Gennady Zyuganov and Liberal Democrats leader Vladimir Zhirinovsky are expected to hang on to their constituencies.
"They have a reliable percentage of voters who turn out and support them," Weir stated. "People expect to see them, expect them to put up the fight, and they get predictable results in the end."
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