Prokhorov Pushes Kremlin Criticism; To Spend $94 Million on Election

With parliamentary elections now officially set for December 4, Mikhail Prokhorov and his "Right Cause" party have stepped of their criticism of the country's leadership, saying Vladimir Putin's Russia has become a "parody" of the old Soviet Union and that unless things change "it will kill us all."

Prokhorov, whose party has been called "Kremlin-friendly", used the announcement of the Duma elections to issue a manifesto of his party's goals.  He has said that if the party wins seven percent of the votes in December, he will work full-time on government issues.  Meanwhile, a website posted a photo gallery on his smiling face on billboards, kiosks, telephone booths, bus stops, on walls, all part of his 2.7 billion ruble ($94 million) campaign chest.

• Prokhorov’s Party Says Russia Is a ‘Parody’ of Soviet Union - Yuliya Fedorinova - Bloomberg News
• Russia Parliamentary Elections to Be Held Dec. 4 - Seth Mydans - New York Times
• Mikhail Prokhorov and Just Cause's Party Platform - Mark Adomanis - Forbes
• Medvedev launches election campaign in Russia - Pravda
  
• Mikhail Prokhorov Billboards Cover Moscow, Russia - Hillary Reinsberg - Mogulite