Nader wins Green nomination

Mr Nader said the Greens were moving into mainstream politics

The US Green Party has nominated the veteran consumer affairs campaigner, Ralph Nader, as its candidate for the November presidential election.

Addressing the Greens' conference in Denver Colorado, Mr Nader said he would campaign for a clean environment, a fair market place and proper health care.

Correspondents say Mr Nader, 66, has no chance of winning, but could take votes from the Democratic Party candidate, Vice-President Al Gore.

To shut out legitimate third-party candidates ... is to limit the competitive democratic process

Ralph Nader

Mr Nader - who cut his teeth fighting the car industry for improved safety standards - won the nomination by an overwhelming margin, seeing off challenges from a punk rock star and a commune founder.

In his acceptance speech, he said Green values had widespread appeal and that the party was moving into mainstream politics.

He said he did not care if his campaign hurt Mr Gore or Republican candidate George W Bush - as long as the major parties listened to his issues.

Debates

And he said the Democrats and Republicans were too afraid even to let him take part in the planned presidential debates.

"To shut out legitimate third-party candidates from these debates is to limit the competitive democratic process on which the American electoral system is supposed to be built," Mr Nader said.

This campaign must challenge the campaigns of the Bush and Gore duopoly in every locality by running with the people

Ralph Nader

"Why are these two men afraid?"

The Commission on Presidential Debates is limiting participation to candidates with at least 15% support in national polls.

That threshold currently excludes Mr Nader and Reform Party candidate Pat Buchanan, both of whom are polling in single figures.

Curiously for a candidate, Mr Nader is not a member of the party he represents - and does not plan to join.

He likes being an independent and said he did not want to get involved in internal party politics.