Communist hopeful may quit Russian election race

By Dmitry Solovyov

MOSCOW (Reuters) - The only opposition candidate registered to run in Russia's presidential election may quit the race because it is slanted in favour of Kremlin frontrunner Dmitry Medvedev, his party said on Wednesday.

Opinion polls indicate Communist leader Gennady Zyuganov has little chance of winning the March 2 election but if he were to pull out it would create an awkward image problem for the Kremlin by making the contest look one-sided.

"The reason is simple -- we do not want to find ourselves in a situation whereby our candidate would serve as window-dressing for an heir's accession to the throne," Ivan Melnikov, Zyuganov's campaign manger, said in a statement sent to Reuters.

"The situation when all administrative tools and technologies are used in favour of the Kremlin's choice, this massive information campaign to publicise Dmitry Medvedev, may force us to consider this option," Melnikov said in a statement.

Western governments have urged Russia to hold a fair election after observers said a parliamentary vote last year was skewed by Kremlin interference. Officials deny any bias and say they are committed to holding a free and fair election.

Some analysts say Zyuganov, 63, is concerned that a weak showing in the presidential election could later leave him vulnerable to a challenge from rivals for the party leadership.

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Russian election chiefs have officially registered three candidates for the election: Medvedev, Zyuganov and nationalist Vladimir Zhirinovsky. He avoids criticism of Putin and his party usually votes with Kremlin loyalists in parliament.