Fresh ‘younger’ face to stand against Putin

MOSCOW: The Russian Communist Party has moved to overhaul its geriatric image, registering a wealthy 57-yearold farm boss to challenge incumbent Vladimir Putin for the presidency in a gamble it hopes will revive its electoral fortunes.

Russia’s central election commission said yesterday that it had registered Pavel Grudinin, who runs a farm business on the edge of Moscow, as the party’s candidate for the March 18 election after the Communists unexpectedly decided against putting up their veteran 73-year-old leader Gennady Zyuganov.

Putin is backed by state TV, the ruling United Russia party and many voters who live outside big cities. Polls show 65-year-old Putin, who has dominated Russian politics for the last 18 years, is on track to comfortably win a fourth presidential term.

Grudinin, a fresh face in an otherwise stale political line-up that has hardly changed in the last two decades, could indirectly help Putin by boost- ing turnout amid signs of apathy among some voters who assume Putin will win however they vote.

Though a shadow of itself in the Soviet era when it enjoyed a monopoly on power, the Communist Party is also hoping a younger, less orthodox contender may be able to revive its fortunes and appeal to younger voters.

The party remains popular with millions of Russians, particularly older people who live in rural communities. – Reuters

PICTURE: EPA-EFE People go past a poster reading ‘Strong President Strong Russia’ in support of Russian President Vladimir Putin in St Petersburg yesterday.