The Right Cause party has decided to ban the No. 2 in the party list, Andrei Bogdanov, from speaking on behalf of the party and recommended not to use his image in its campaign.
“The decision is made,” the head of the executive committee, acting chairman of the Right Cause Andrei Dunaev said on Thursday.
Bogdanov was unaware of the party’s decision of not using his pictures during the campaign or of his forbidance to speak on behalf of the Right Cause.
“This is a mistake. I think you don’t have all the information. You have erroneous information,” Bogdanov said.
The former leader of the Right Cause party, billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov, left the party in mid-September after delegates to the party conference split into two factions. As a result, there were two rival party congresses on September 15. At one, leader Mikhail Prokhorov was dismissed from his position. At the other, Prokhorov said a “forcible takeover” of the party was underway and announced his departure, saying he planned to form a new political movement.
Prokhorov said his supporters – individuals and companies – wanted their money back. He himself contributed “a very small amount.”
Earlier this month at a meeting of the reformed party, Right Cause party members approved an election program and a list of candidates. Andrei Dunaev tops the list, followed by former presidential candidate Andrei Bogdanov and professional tennis player Anna Chakvetadze. The selection of a party leader was postponed until after the Duma elections. Dunaev said that if the party got into the State Duma, he would head it.