Billionaire registers as election rival to Putin

Russian billionaire oligarch Mikhail Prokhorov yesterday submitted two million signatures from his supporters in order to register as a candidate in the March presidential poll against Vladimir Putin.

It was the final day for independent candidates wishing to run against Putin, currently serving as prime minister, to submit the requisite two million signatures to the Central Election Commission.

Prokhorov, 46, said on Tuesday that he was aiming to force Putin into a second round of voting.

Many Russians believe Prokhorov to be running as a Kremlin-friendly candidate to soak up opposition to Putin, and his criticism of the prime minister has been muted.

Putin would be forced to go into a run-off if he fails to win 50 per cent plus one vote in the first round, with his closest rival likely to be Communist leader Gennady Zyuganov.