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Prokhorov to Start Building New Party on March 12
Interfax - 3.8.12 - JRL 2012-45

MOSCOW. March 8 (Interfax) - Former Russian presidential candidate Mikhail Prokhorov has decided to take a rest after the presidential campaign until Monday, after which he will start building his party. Mikhail Prokhorov on Cellphone

"I suddenly realized yesterday that I am really tired and urgently need rest. I decided to leave for several days to recover. The last several months have been extremely tense. I will be back to Moscow over the weekend," Prokhorov said on his LiveJournal account on March 7.

He said he has also let his campaign staff take a rest for several days.

"We will actively start working on a party on Monday," Prokhorov said.

Presidential elections in Russia were held on March 4. The Central Elections Commission reported on Wednesday that Vladimir Putin won the presidency with 63.6% of the vote. Communist Party leader Gennady Zyuganov came in second with 17.18%, Prokhorov was third with 7.98%, Liberal Democratic Party leader Vladimir Zhirinovsky fourth with 6.22%, and A Just Russia party leader Sergei Mironov fifth with 3.85%.

Putin said on Wednesday that Prokhorov could well be invited to the new government. "Mikhail Dmitriyevich (Prokhorov) is a serious person, a good businessman and could be welcome in the Cabinet in principle, if he wishes that himself," Putin said while meeting with government pool journalists.

Prokhorov had said in the run-up to the elections that he would not agree to occupy a government office. "I will not accept a public office anyway but will build my own party, which will strive for power," Prokhorov said on Channel One television.

Prokhorov said Vladimir Putin and he have different views on the way Russia should develop. "The government needs to be changed. There is nothing to stabilize in the country except poverty and backwardness," he said.

Prokhorov said he would build a very appealing party within months, which most active and thinking people in the country would join. He said he believed that more than half of those who have attended protest rallies in large cities across Russia would support him.

Putin earlier approved of Prokhorov's idea to build his party and offered constructive cooperation. "I think, if you start forming a party, we will have grounds for a constructive dialogue," Putin told Prokhorov at a meeting with three of his former election rivals on March 5.

Putin said Prokhorov's program had many ideas on how the economy should be organized. "If you speak seriously, many of the things which you say are needed for economic development have been applied rather actively here and we plan to use them in the future," Putin said.

In explaining why he wants to build a party, Prokhorov said more than 5.5 million voters had supported him. "I will work to be worthy of their trust by forming a new political force. I think that a strong and new political party, demonstrating the desire to develop our country and to move our country to advanced positions would be in demand. Therefore I want to do this job," Prokhorov said.

"Excellent," replied Putin. "You know my position on the whole. I once actively supported plans to set up the Right Cause party in parliamentary elections - not to the previous Duma, but earlier. Many of these people are working in government agencies now," he said.

Keywords: Russia, Government, Politics - Russia News - Russia

 

MOSCOW. March 8 (Interfax) - Former Russian presidential candidate Mikhail Prokhorov has decided to take a rest after the presidential campaign until Monday, after which he will start building his party.

Mikhail Prokhorov on Cellphone

"I suddenly realized yesterday that I am really tired and urgently need rest. I decided to leave for several days to recover. The last several months have been extremely tense. I will be back to Moscow over the weekend," Prokhorov said on his LiveJournal account on March 7.

He said he has also let his campaign staff take a rest for several days.

"We will actively start working on a party on Monday," Prokhorov said.

Presidential elections in Russia were held on March 4. The Central Elections Commission reported on Wednesday that Vladimir Putin won the presidency with 63.6% of the vote. Communist Party leader Gennady Zyuganov came in second with 17.18%, Prokhorov was third with 7.98%, Liberal Democratic Party leader Vladimir Zhirinovsky fourth with 6.22%, and A Just Russia party leader Sergei Mironov fifth with 3.85%.

Putin said on Wednesday that Prokhorov could well be invited to the new government. "Mikhail Dmitriyevich (Prokhorov) is a serious person, a good businessman and could be welcome in the Cabinet in principle, if he wishes that himself," Putin said while meeting with government pool journalists.

Prokhorov had said in the run-up to the elections that he would not agree to occupy a government office. "I will not accept a public office anyway but will build my own party, which will strive for power," Prokhorov said on Channel One television.

Prokhorov said Vladimir Putin and he have different views on the way Russia should develop. "The government needs to be changed. There is nothing to stabilize in the country except poverty and backwardness," he said.

Prokhorov said he would build a very appealing party within months, which most active and thinking people in the country would join. He said he believed that more than half of those who have attended protest rallies in large cities across Russia would support him.

Putin earlier approved of Prokhorov's idea to build his party and offered constructive cooperation. "I think, if you start forming a party, we will have grounds for a constructive dialogue," Putin told Prokhorov at a meeting with three of his former election rivals on March 5.

Putin said Prokhorov's program had many ideas on how the economy should be organized. "If you speak seriously, many of the things which you say are needed for economic development have been applied rather actively here and we plan to use them in the future," Putin said.

In explaining why he wants to build a party, Prokhorov said more than 5.5 million voters had supported him. "I will work to be worthy of their trust by forming a new political force. I think that a strong and new political party, demonstrating the desire to develop our country and to move our country to advanced positions would be in demand. Therefore I want to do this job," Prokhorov said.

"Excellent," replied Putin. "You know my position on the whole. I once actively supported plans to set up the Right Cause party in parliamentary elections - not to the previous Duma, but earlier. Many of these people are working in government agencies now," he said.