Moscow, Jan 02: Nine candidates including incumbent Vladimir Putin have filed their nominations for the March 14 presidential polls in Russia. Along with Putin, former Duma speaker Ivan Rybkin, drug manufacturer Vladimir Bryntsalov, co-chairperson of union of rightist forces (SPS) Irina Hakamada are the prominent candidates, who have filed their nominations.

Six independent candidates for the top Kremlin post had filed their nomination papers by the January 01 deadline.

They were required to produce 2 million signatures in their support in at least 40 of Russian Federation's 89 regions by January 28 for their registration by the Central Election Commission.

Stung by major setback at December 07 Duma polls, the main opposition communist party (KPRF) has fielded veteran party leader Nikolai Kharitonov as its presidential candidate instead of party chairman Gennady Zyuganov, who has unsuccessfully contested presidential polls in 1996 and 2000 against Boris Yeltsin and Vladimir Putin.

Participant of all the presidential polls in Russia since 1991, firebrand leader of Liberal Democratic Party (LDPR) Vladimir Zhirinovsky has decided to keep off the fray this time and has fielded his chief bodyguard Oleg Malyshkin as his party's candidate.

As a parliamentary party "Rodina" (Bloc) has fielded ex-central bank governor Viktor Geraschenko as its presidential candidate. Bureau Report