Russia opposition party denied registration

The Russian justice ministry said on Wednesday it would not register an opposition party known for its fierce criticism of Vladimir Putin, denying it an opportunity to take part in upcoming polls. 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 they dubbed the People's Freedom Party known in Russian under its acronym Parnas. The justice ministry said it would not register the party, saying it has found a number of violations in its application including the use of phantom members. "The party's documents contain data about members of the public who died before the party's founding convention on December 13, 2010," the justice ministry said in a statement. It also said it had received a number of complaints from Russians who say they were not members of that opposition party. Russia's fragmented opposition stands virtually no chance of mounting any serious challenge to the Kremlin as Russia heads into parliamentary elections in December followed by a presidential vote three months later. According to the law, unregistered parties cannot field candidates for polls. "I am sorry that Putin has made a decision not to allow our party to participate in the elections. He is obviously afraid of risks," the party quoted Kasyanov as saying in the statement. "The upcoming elections cannot be considered free and the Russian authorities will continue to go along the path of violating the constitution and the country's international obligations." Political observers had earlier said the chance of the party being registered ahead of the polls was nearly non-existent. Opposition leaders are frequently harassed in Russia. Nemtsov said earlier this month that unknown assailants had damaged his Range Rover by throwing a toilet bowl on the car when it was parked in central Moscow. The party plans to call a news conference for Thursday.