MOSCOW. Jan 27 (Interfax) - The denial of registration as a presidential candidate to ex-Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov makes the election campaign less democratic, human rights activists claimed.

"The democratically-minded citizens have lost their presidential candidate," leader of the movement For Human Rights Lev Ponomaryov told Interfax on Sunday.

"It was easy to see that Kasyanov would be barred from the election. It was clear that if a person's position is firm and independent, he will not be registered," he said.

Another veteran of the Russian human rights movement, leader of the Moscow Helsinki Group Lyudmila Alexeyeva said protest voters might have chosen Kasyanov in the presidential election. "The denial of registrant to Mikhail Kasyanov is a well thought-out maneuver. It lowers the democratic level of the election," Alexeyeva told Interfax on Sunday.

Political scientist, head of the Ekspertiza Analytical Programs Foundation Mark Urnov, argued that Kasyanov's absence will not have a decisive influence on the outcome of the election.

"Everything indicated he would not be registered. This could be judged from his being barred from TV. No other rational motives existed. Kasyanov was not feared. The level of support he draws is a lot lower than Dmitry Medvedev's. But he could have used weighty arguments to criticize the authorities on TV, so he was denied registration," Urnov told Interfax on Sunday.

"The Central Elections Commission's decision today will not influence the Russian public opinion at all. Polls suggest that an overwhelming majority of citizens will support Medvedev. Kasyanov's absence will slightly weaken trust in the election in the West. The only serious consequence seen is that the moral atmosphere has deteriorated and the electoral procedure has lost its value. This will complicate Russia's development as a normal law-based and democratic state," the expert said.

The Central Elections Commission disqualified Kasyanov as a presidential candidate after 13.36% of signature provided by supporters were registered as fake, with only 5% allowed.

The four candidates who will continue the presidential race are Dmitry Medvedev of the United Russia party, Gennady Zyuganov of the Communist Party, Vladimir Zhirinovsky of the Liberal-Democratic Party and self-nominated candidate Andrei Bogdanov of the Democratic Party of Russia.