A Russian tycoon-turned-politician has rebelled against the Kremlin accusing it of manipulating political process in the country and quitting a pro-business party he headed only three months ago.
Billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov, who took leadership of the small Right Cause Party in June, walked out on Thursday after what he described as “hostile takeover” of the party orchestrated by “Kremlin puppeteers”.
Mr. Prokhorov's opponents in Right Cause ousted him as leader at a party congress on Thursday after the party split into two rival factions. The billionaire accused Vladislav Surkov, deputy chief of the Kremlin staff of President Dmitry Medvedev, of hijacking the Right Cause party, but stopped short of criticising either Mr. Medvedev or Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.
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Mr. Prokhorov lambasted Mr. Surkov as the country's “chief puppeteer” who “has long privatised the political system”.
This is the first time that the Kremlin's chief strategist, who has held the post for more than 10 years, has been publicly accused of pulling the strings in the Russian party system.
The scandal deals a blow to Mr. Medvedev who personally endorsed Mr. Prokhorov as the Right Cause leader to revitalise the moribund party, which has no seats in the current legislature, and to prove he can deliver on his promise to promote a credible multiparty system in Russia.
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