RUSSIA:Former Soviet leader voices fears at lack of political tolerance for opposition, writes Daniel McLaughlin
Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev has sharply criticised Russia's presidential election campaign, in which the Kremlin-backed candidate has refused to debate with his rivals and has seen his most vocal critic controversially thrown out of the race.
President Vladimir Putin's chosen successor, Dmitry Medvedev, is expected to secure a landslide victory in the March 2nd vote, but his triumph could be tarnished by claims that the election is a Kremlin-orchestrated sham.
Mr Gorbachev, whose liberal reforms in the late 1980s paved the way for the collapse of communism in eastern Europe, said Mr Putin's pledge to serve as prime minister if Mr Medvedev became president had made next month's poll "predictable from the outset".
"Something is going wrong with our elections, and our electoral system needs a major adjustment," he complained.
Mr Gorbachev has praised Mr Putin for his firm-handed management of a country that is benefiting from high oil and gas prices, but he has also voiced fears about his lack of tolerance for political opposition and an independent media.
Press and television coverage of the presidential election campaign has enormously favoured Mr Medvedev, who is benefiting from high-profile public appearances with the hugely popular Mr Putin.
Russians have now been denied the chance to see Mr Medvedev discuss key issues with other candidates, after he withdrew from a televised pre-election debate.
"As Mr Medvedev is not taking holidays, but is continuing to work actively as first deputy prime minister, his schedule includes trips to the regions and meetings on various aspects of his work," a spokesman said.
Mr Putin also refused to debate with his rivals before claiming crushing election victories in 2000 and 2004. He is barred from running for a third consecutive term in office.
"The authorities are afraid of any discussion, any risk," said former prime minister Mikhail Kasyanov, who was barred from standing due to alleged forgery in his candidacy papers.
"My firm recommendation is that you do not take part in this farce," he said, urging other candidates and voters to boycott the election.
Mr Kasyanov's campaign team are being investigated for fraud after the Central Election Commission claimed to have discovered tens of thousands of forged signatures among the two million that each candidate requires to be registered.
Mr Kasyanov, a slick liberal whom Mr Putin sacked from the post of premier in 2004, says the move was ordered by a Kremlin that is terrified of any dissent, despite the fact that Mr Putin and Mr Medvedev are by far Russia's most popular politicians.
"I have no doubt that Mr Putin personally made the decision not to register my candidacy," Mr Kasyanov declared.
"This country is moving towards a totalitarian dead end. This election without choice makes a mockery of Russia's citizens." Communist leader Gennady Zyuganov appears to have drawn back from threats to boycott the poll, but has refused to take part in a televised debate without Mr Medvedev.
"This isn't a discussion, this isn't competition," Mr Zyuganov said, before revealing, in rare praise of the US, his admiration for the race for the Democratic presidential candidacy.
"We need normal dialogue - every day I see how the election campaign in America is going, how Hillary Clinton and [ Barack] Obama are competing, but I don't see anything on our television screens about the real discussion of the problems," he said.
In recent polls, Mr Medvedev had the support of 82 per cent of voters, with Mr Zyuganov second on 9 per cent, ahead of two other candidates who toe the Kremlin line. Mr Kasyanov was not expected to attract more than 5 per cent of votes.