Kasparov will Stand for President

Former World Chess Champion Gary Kasparov will be a contender for the next year's Russian Presidential Poll. He has been selected at a congress of the small Other Russia coalition. He vowed to fight for a "democratic and just Russia".

In the primary election, Kasparov received 379 out of the 498 votes, beating other nominees including former Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov and the former head of the Russian Central Bank, Viktor Gerashchenko.

Gary Kasparov, who founded The Other Russia, has become one of President Putin's most outspoken critics since he retired from chess and turned to politics in 2005.

"The goal of the Other Russia is not winning elections, but to have an election," he told the Associated Press.

But, according to opinion polls Kasparov has little chance of victory against whomever receives the backing of the outgoing President, Vladimir Putin. As per Russia's constitutional rules, Mr. Putin will not be able to stand for a third consecutive term in March 2008. via BBC