Russian presidential candidate is missing!

[Sava]

Azazel

[Spiffor]

I fail to understand why Putin would want to have such an easy rival abducted or killed. Any smart modern dictator enjoys having a facade opposition, and there is no way the missing candidate could threaten him to his reelection (polls attributed him about 1% of the votes).

Either this affair is really a really clumsy decision by Putin, or it is independent from him. Since he hasn't used us to clumsiness, I believe the latter for now.

[Saras]

Originally posted by Azazel

Capitalist dictatorship

Because a capitalist dictatorship is obviously impossible!

Depends on your definition of capitalism.

[GePap]

While who knows what Putins allies might do, given the violent history of the party, it might very well be an internal party problem, or mixe ups with organized crime.

[Gangerolf]

Did Putin have him whacked?

[Odin]

Originally posted by Gangerolf
Did Putin have him whacked?

I'm fairly sure he did.

[Lonestar]

Maybe he used all those tanks he can now keep in European Russia with the repudiation of the CFE treaty........

[Boris Godunov]

Originally posted by Odin
I'm fairly sure he did.

Why? He had no real compelling reason to do so. THis guy had less than 1% support, and Putin is a shoo-in for re-election in March. There doesn't seem to be any sense to him being behind it.

[mrmitchell]

If you take Putin and sound it out backwards and place it in the title of the russian anthem it says TOR ANTIG which is almost THE ANTICHRIST!!!!

[Capt Dizle]

George Bush has called Putin and is offering to send Dennis Kucinich to sub for the missing candidate.

[Saras]

Denis Ivanovich Kucinich... hmmm... sounds Russian

[Nubclear]

Denny is about as crazy as a Russian, too

[Az]

As a Russian citizen, I find all of this very interesting.

While who knows what Putins allies might do, given the violent history of the party, it might very well be an internal party problem, or mixe ups with organized crime

What party will that be?

[Serb]

The Russian presidential candidate, my as$.
Who need this f*cker anyway? No one here cares about him much anyway.
He is a Berzovsky's puppet. Berezovky is f*cking motherf*cker who robbed our country and stole billions $$$ during Yeltzin's rule. Now he live in London under protection of British law, despite that he is in international search via Interpol.
Berezovsky (as I said he is quite a f*cker) hate Putin and do everything to show Russian leadership in bad light. He is producer of sci-fi-bs documentary about FSB planting charges to destroy apartment buildings in 1999, and the same sh!t.
Rybkin is his lackey dog. His "party" lost last parliament election, as well as praliament election of 1999. They gathered something about of 0.02% (needed limit was 5%).
They are bunch of loosers without any support of population. This action is clear attack of Berezovsky against Putin. An atempt to bring attention to this candidate, and atempt to show Russia and Russian leadership in bad light.

One more thing, he was found near Moscow in (pansionat?) dacha, drinking vodka with his buddies and whores, I guess.
It's just another trick of Berezovsky, nothing more.

[The Vagabond]

Originally posted by Serb
This action is clear attack of Berezovsky against Putin. An attept to bring attention to this candidate, and attempt to show Russia and Russian leadership in bad light.

This seems to be the most likely scenario. And an undoable damage has already been inflicted on Russia's image. I wonder if Rybkin and his wife should be brought to justice if this disappearence proves to be a fake. I hope there is an appropriate article for such a misdemeanor in the criminal code.