warning Hi, we've moved to USCANNENBERGMEDIA.COM. Visit us there!

Neon Tommy - Annenberg digital news

New Jersey Nets Owner Seeks Russian Presidency

Paresh Dave |
December 12, 2011 | 10:29 a.m. PST

Editor-In-Chief

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. (Creative Commons)
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. (Creative Commons)
Gold tycoon and billionaire investor Mikhail Prokhorov announced Monday that he will challenge Vladimir Putin for the Russian presidency.

Putin has faced a major backlash after his party swept parliamentary elections last week because tens of thousands of protestors have claimed election fraud paved the way for the victories. Russian President Dmitri Medvedev ordered Monday an investigation into the claims. The protestors want a new election, and international observers have agreed that the elections were not fair.

The presidential election, meanwhile, is scheduled for March 4.

With a net worth of $18 billion, Prokhorov is Russia's third-richest inidivdual. While Prokhorov has money on his side, few in the country had an opinion of him in a recent poll.

“I think that our society is waking up, and that part of the government which is not capable of establishing a dialogue with society, those authorities will have to go,” he told reporters in Russia. “The world is undergoing serious changes, a new kind of person has arisen as the result of the Internet, and communication between the authorities and society will have a more honest character.”

Here's how "60 Minutes" profiled Prokhorov last year:

Best way to find more great content from Neon Tommy?

Or join our email list below to enjoy Neon Tommy News Alerts.



 

Buzz

Craig Gillespie directed this true story about "the most daring rescue mission in the history of the U.S. Coast Guard.”

Watch USC Annenberg Media's live State of the Union recap and analysis here.

 
ntrandomness