Zyuganov on Elections & EC Press Conference 📢

(28 Jan 2008) SHOTLIST
1. Wide of building where Radio Echo of Moscow is situated
2. Communist Party chief, Gennady Zyuganov, walking into studio and taking seat at desk
3. Mid of microphones
4. Zyuganov and two presenters sitting, talking at desk
5. SOUNDBITE (Russian) Gennady Zyuganov, Communist Party leader:
"I have announced officially to the whole country that we struggle, (but) will have chances to make it to the second round. We must offer an alternative for people; the country and people are interested in this. As far as the ruling party is concerned, if they go on with this mess, we will make a decision after January 23."
6. Photographer
7. Zyuganov and presenters at desk
8. SOUNDBITE (Russian) Gennady Zyuganov, Communist Party chief:
"Kasyanov is directly linked with the West. He has already been there on Thursday, he has complained. From the moral point of view I am against him. From the legal point of view it's also not right to collect so many signatures. I think he has no moral right to count on the backing from the West. No one would vote for such a candidate in any country in the world."
9. Mid of camera operator
10. Zyuganov and presenters at desk
11. Wide pan from photographers to Churov at news conference
12. SOUNDBITE (Russian) Vladimir Churov, Chairman, Central Election Commission:
"Each one of you could have witnessed at every stage how signatures were checked for candidate Bogdanov and candidate Kasyanov. I assume nobody has any doubts as to the fact that all the procedures of checking the signatures for the two candidates were honoured in full."
13. Wide shot end of the news conference.
STORYLINE:
The leader of Russia's Communist Party, Gennady Zyuganov, reiterated on Monday that that he would remain a presidential candidate in the March 2 elections.
"I have announced officially to the whole country that we struggle, (but) will have chances to make it to the second round. We must offer an alternative to people", Zyuganov said.
The most outspoken Kremlin opponent in Russia's presidential contest, former Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov, was denied a spot on the ballot on Sunday by election authorities who said tens of thousands of signatures on his nominating petitions were forgeries.
Kasyanov angrily rejected the official claims and accused President Vladimir Putin of ordering his removal from the March 2 election.
The leader of the Liberal Democratic Party Vladimir Zhirinovsky is convinced that nobody would vote for Mikhail Kasyanov anyway because of his contacts to the West.
The head of Russia's Central Election Commission on Monday dismissed the charges Kasyanov was dropped from the race on the order of the Kremlin.
Churov explained that due process was followed in checking the nominations of Kasyanov and Andrei Bogdanov.
"I assume nobody has any doubts as to the fact that all the procedures of checking the signatures for the two candidates were honoured in full."
Speaking at a news conference, Vladimir Churov said only 400 international observers will be allowed to monitor Russia's presidential ballot on March 2.
He criticised "some international observers" who, he said, have their reports, critical of the Russian elections, prepared long before the elections even take place.

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