In rut, Russian communists register surprise candidate to challenge Putin
(World News Russia)

The Russian Communist Party moved to overhaul its geriatric image on Friday, registering a wealthy 57-year-old farm boss to challenge incumbent Vladimir Putin for the presidency in a gamble it hopes will revive its electoral fortunes. Russia`s central election commission on Friday said it had registered Pavel Grudinin, who runs a farm business on the edge of Moscow, as the party`s candidate for the March 18 election after the communists unexpectedly decided against putting up their veteran 73-year-old leader Gennady Zyuganov. ......