Russia Opposition Party Denied Registration

Russia’s Justice Ministry has denied registration to a recently created opposition grouping that includes some high-profile Kremlin critics among its organizers.

Last month, former Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov, former Deputy Prime Minister Boris Nemtsov, and several other politicians submitted documents to register a new opposition party called the People’s Freedom Party, known in Russian under the acronym “Parnas.”

The Justice Ministry said it has found a number of violations in the application, including phantom members. It also said it had received a number of complaints from Russians who say they were erroneously listed as members of the party.

Unregistered parties are barred from fielding candidates in elections, including the presidential election scheduled for March 2012.

compiled from agency reports

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