MOSCOW, September 20 (Itar-Tass) — The Right Cause Party, abandoned by its leader Mikhail Prokhorov because of a conflict with the Kremlin, is trying to draw up a list of its candidates at the coming parliamentary elections, scheduled for December 4. It is to be approved on Tuesday, but the party has not reach agreement so far even on the first three names. Meanwhile, attempts are being made to bring back to life the Union of Right-Wing Forces. Sources in the party reported that talks are being held with Prokhorov on his return to the leading post.
Members of Right Cause are expected to approve on Tuesday the federal list of candidates, to run for parliament at the coming elections, and to elect a new leader. The first three names on the list may include Andrei Dunayev and Andrei Bogdanov, the current leaders of Right Cause. According to the sources of Nezavisimaya Gazeta, “a final decision will be made by the Kremlin.” Leonid Gozman, a member of Right Cause, announced his intention to withdraw from it. He is planning to hold on Tuesday a congress of the Union of Right-Wing Forces.
It is not known so far who is going to be suggested as the Right Cause leader. Most probably, it will be Dunayev, acting president of the party.
Boris Nadezhdin, head of the Moscow branch of Right Cause, whose name was expected to be among the first three names on the party list, said on Monday that if Bogdanov was on the list, he would not take part in the party work. During the whole of Monday the sources of the newspaper in the party reported that talks were held with Prokhorov about his return. The press service of the oligarch refuted the reports on the talks, however. About all his former colleagues are sure that he will not return to Right Cause.
Prokhorov’s press service reported that he had appealed to the President and the Prime Minister to be received, because he wished to inform them of what is going on in Right Cause. No response to his appeals came so far, Nezavisimaya Gazeta writes.
Leonid Gozman withdrew from Right Cause on Monday and explained to The Kommersant that “a sane person cannot remain in the organisation, which is associated with the names of Bogdanov and Dunayev.”
Former members of the Union of Right-Wing Forces (it formed Right Cause together with the Democratic Party of Russia and Civil Force) will work out a common stand before the Tuesday congress. After the congress, they will meet to discuss a possibility of bringing the Union back to life. Now it has the status of a public organisation. Gozman believes it is quite probable that Prokhorov will be invited to the Union.