Mikhail Prokhorov 2012 presidential campaign

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Mikhail Prokhorov 2012 presidential campaign

Mikhail Prokhorov, a businessman and former leader of Right Cause, ran as an independent candidate in the 2012 Russian presidential election. In December 2011, after the legislative elections, he announced his bid against Vladimir Putin, calling it “probably the most important decision of my life.” Some opponents suggested the move was influenced by the Kremlin, with Boris Nemtsov arguing it could be meant to preserve Putin’s regime. Prokhorov collected about 2 million signatures to qualify for the race.

In the March 4, 2012 election, Prokhorov received about 7.94% of the vote. He toured the country, meeting supporters in many cities, and was one of the few candidates to visit Russia’s regions regularly, second only to Putin in that regard.

During his campaign he largely avoided attacking his opponents. He stated that he would not base his campaign on criticism of Putin and that criticism should be limited, focusing instead on what he would do. His campaign funds were substantial: about 400 million rubles, making his fund one of the best-funded in the race, with more than 319 million rubles spent.

Prokhorov positioned himself as a liberal reformist. His promises included domestic improvements such as building more roads and railroad tracks and raising the standard of living to surpass that of the United States. In foreign policy, he advocated closer trade ties with the European Union and closer cooperation with Central Asia, aiming for greater integration with Europe. He criticized undemocratic regimes, naming Iran and Syria as examples.

If elected, he pledged to reinstate gubernatorial elections, pardon Mikhail Khodorkovsky, and reverse the constitutional change that lengthened presidential terms from four to six years. He argued that both the Prime Minister and parliament should be strong counterweights to the presidency and said he would appoint Alexei Kudrin as his prime minister.

Prokhorov also proposed reducing state control of the media, ending censorship, and selling off state-owned television assets. He suggested that the government’s top 200 officials should sell their business holdings. He pledged that if he became president, he would sell his own assets, pay all taxes, and donate more than half of his wealth to charity. He called for dismantling large energy monopolies, including Gazprom, and favored better relations with the European Union.

He planned to lead a liberal, free-market party after the election, whether or not he won. In June 2012 he became the leader of the Civic Platform party.