‘Russia’s Paris Hilton’ unveils bid to run in presidential election
A LIBERAL television host once described as “Russia’s Paris Hilton” yesterday announced her candidacy for the Russian presidency amid reports that the Kremlin wants her to serve as a harmless foil for Vladimir Putin.
Ksenia Sobchak declared she would run in the March 2018 election as a “none of the above” candidate, a move that drew criticism from some liberals, who fear she may split support among the opposition.
“All of us can and should talk about our position, about our opposition to this regime that wants to remain for a quarter of a century, to deteriorating education and healthcare, to enormous corruption and propaganda … to war and international isolation,” she wrote.
Once mainly known as a socialite who appeared on the cover of Russian Playboy, Ms Sobchak burnished her opposition credentials during major anti-kremlin street protests in 2012 and her work for the independent media outlet TV Rain.
She is the daughter of Anatoly Sobchak, a former St Petersburg mayor who gave Mr Putin his first job in politics, but has denied rumours that the president is her godfather.
None the less, there was immediate scepticism over the sincerity of her candidacy. Presidential candidates in Russia have traditionally played the role of “sparring partners”, lending the race an air of legitimacy without threatening the final result, and Ms Sobchak’s announcement immediately brought to mind Mikhail Prokhorov, the oligarch and Brooklyn Nets basketball team owner who offered token opposition to Mr Putin in the 2012 election and took only 8 per cent of the vote.
For weeks, Russian media has been reporting that the Kremlin is expected to pick a female candidate to increase interest in the election.
In September, Vedomosti, the respected newspaper in which Ms Sobchak made her announcement, quoted sources close to the presidential administration as saying that she was an “ideal option”.
Mr Putin, whose approval rating remains above 80 per cent, according to pollsters, has not yet officially announced his candidacy, but is widely expected to run.
Alexei Navalny, the anti-corruption campaigner who is barred from running because of a controversial embezzlement conviction and 30-day jail sentence, previously said Ms Sobchak would only serve as a “caricature of a liberal candidate”.