Billionaire drops election bid with swipe at Kremlin

Billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov declared yesterday he would boycott Russia’s parliamentary election in December and accused the Kremlin’s chief political strategist of sabotaging his political career.

In an abrupt end to a campaign, the owner of the New Jersey Nets basketball team said he was resigning from the tiny party which he took over in June.

Mr Prokhorov’s role in the forthcoming election had never been likely to threaten the domination of prime minister Vladimir Putin’s ruling party and many political analysts said his political career had the consent of the Kremlin.

But resigning after a split in his Right Cause party, the whiz kid of Russian finance took the unusual step of accusing Kremlin first deputy chief of staff Vladislav Surkov, one of Russia’s most powerful men, of scuppering his plans. “There is a puppet master in this country who long ago privatised the political system and has for a long time misinformed the leadership of the country,” said Mr Prokhorov.

“His name is Vladislav Yurevich Surkov,” he said. “Real politics are impossible as long as such people rule the political process.”

He said he would request a meeting with Mr Putin and president Dmitry Medvedev in an attempt to have Mr Surkov sacked.

The Kremlin declined immediate comment. Mr Putin’s spokesman said party issues were not the prime minister’s responsibility.

Mr Prokhorov, ranked by Forbes as Russia’s third richest man with a fortune of around £11 billion, made the criticism after accusing the Kremlin of trying to take over Right Cause, which promptly split in two.

“Neither I, nor my supporters, will take part in the state Duma elections,” he said.

“What has erupted is a genuine scandal. I don’t think this was part of the Kremlin plan,” said Maria Lipman, a political analyst at the Moscow Carnegie Centre.

“There were obviously confrontations and tensions between Prokhorov and others in power that were accumulating over concrete issues.”

Mr Prokhorov, 46, said he was not afraid of what happened to Mikhail Khodorkovsky, an oil tycoon who took an interest in politics and is serving a lengthy jail term after falling foul of the Kremlin. He is serving a 13-year sentence for two convictions on charges of economic crimes.

Mr Prokhorov owns a 17 per cent stake in the world’s largest aluminium producer Rusal and a 30 per cent stake in Russia’s top gold miner, Polyus Gold .

Critics had said he was running in the election as part of a Kremlin plan to spice up a monotonous election which is almost certain to be won by Mr Putin’s ruling United Russia party and which opposition groups say will be rigged.

But in an indication that Mr Prokhorov may have veered away from the script, state television did not air the criticism of Mr Surkov, merely reporting that the party was split and looking for a new leader.

The state-run RIA news agency quoted an official from Russia’s Central Electoral Commission as saying Mr Prokhorov would not be able to participate in the December election.

Mr Surkov is credited with helping Mr Putin craft Russia’s highly orchestrated political system and is viewed as one of the most powerful men in Russian politics.

He served in the Kremlin for Mr Putin’s entire presidency from 2000 to 2008, and remained in the administration when Mr Putin steered Mr Medvedev into the presidency as the constitution prevented him seeking a third successive term.