A group of prominent Russian politicians and businessmen has formally nominated the Russian acting President, Vladimir Putin, as a candidate in the presidential election at the end of March.

Mr Putin's supporters include several regional leaders, the executive chairman of the natural gas monopoly Gazprom, Rem Vyakhirev, and the head of the national electricity grid, Anatoly Chubais.

The latest opinion poll suggests that fifty-five per cent of voters would support Mr Putin, with only thirteen per cent backing his main potential rival, the Communist Party leader, Gennady Zyuganov.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service