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Twelve 'Moral Pillars' Should Choose Sole Opposition Presidential Candidate - Nemtsov

MOSCOW. Dec 12 (Interfax) - Boris Nemtsov, one of the Union of Right Forces (SPS) leaders, whom the party is likely to nominate for president, believes that a sole opposition presidential candidate should be chosen by people whose honesty and integrity cannot be disputed by anyone.

"Our position is that a board should be put together of moral pillars whose honesty nobody in this country disputes. For instance, they can be Sergei Kovalyov, Lyudmila Alexeyeva, Yury Afanasyev, Yury Ryzhov, and others," Nemtsov said at the 4th Civic Congress on Wednesday.

"For instance, twelve people could be chosen, as happens with a jury, and they should be given the chance to say who of the potential candidates should be the sole candidate," he said.

Such a candidate should be approved unanimously, and if even one of the twelve objects to this candidate, he or she cannot be nominated for president, Nemtsov said.

"We deem it an absolutely principled matter that the democratic opposition should have one candidate. It would be an indelible disgrace if this does not happen," Nemtsov said.

The SPS is "against Operation Successor as such, regardless of personalities," he said implying the possibility that the Kremlin could support its own candidate for president and use administrative resources to propel him to power.

Russian People's Democratic Union and former Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov said when asked by journalists to comment on Nemtsov's proposal that it "could be discussed.