Bloomberg News is reporting Mikhail Prokhorov will announce on June 25 whether he intends to run next March for President of Russia. But in statement emailed to NetsDaily late Saturday, a spokesperson for the Nets owner denied it. "Bloomberg has it wrong," said the spokesperson in the email. "Mikhail has said he would not discuss any issues of political future until he becomes official head of the party, which, if it happens, will be on June 25th.
"He will not be announcing any decision on presidential candidacy on the 25th," the spokesperson added.
Prokhorov is likely to lead the Prayoe Delo Party ("Just Cause") in the Russian parliamentary elections this December. The party is a small, liberal pro-business party founded in 2008. Earlier this week, Russian President Dmitri Medvedev welcomed the Nets owner into the political fray. No word yet from Vladimir Putin, Russian prime minister who may also seek the presidency he vacated three years ago. His political involvement is not expected to impact his ownership of the team.
- Prokhorov to Focus on Small Businesses - Yuliya Fedorinova - Bloomberg News
- Prokhorov May Be Pro-Business Candidate for President - Ilya Khrennikov and Lyubov Pronina - Bloomberg News
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Prokhorov's next party is poliitical - Stefan Bondy - New York Daily News