(24 Jan 1996) Russian/Nat
A man claiming to be the grandson of Russia's last Tsar is making his own bid for power.
The self-styled Grand Duke Nicholas has announced he's taking on Boris Yeltsin - and joining the race for the Russian Presidency.
Fueled by a combination of nostalgia and present-day economic hardships, Muscovites came to listen to the latest entry in this summer's presidential contest.
He says he is Imperial Highness Grand Duke Nicholas - the grandson of the last Tsar, Nicholas II.
He says he's running for Russia's sake - and claims he has no personal interest in becoming President.
SOUNDBITE: (Russian)
"If need be, not merely to become president, but to participate in the presidential race, we will not object to the initiative group that supports us. But this participation will not be for the sake of assuming presidency or power."
SUPERCAPTION: "Grand Duke Nicholas"
He claims he is the son of Crown Prince Alexei, shown here as a young boy with his father, Tsar Nicholas II.
According to history textbooks, the Bolsheviks executed the entire royal family in 1918.
Yet 54-year-old "Grand Duke Nicholas" says his father Alexei survived the bullets in a complicated plot masterminded by Bolsheviks and their White Guard opponents.
His unsubstantiated story is that Alexei lived a quiet life in the provincial town of Saratov until his death in 1965.
While many doubt his claim, some members of the Russian aristocracy have been quick to support his campaign.
SOUNDBITE: (Russian)
"Russia needs a monarchy."
SUPERCAPTION: Prince Arkady Bugayev, member of the Russian aristocracy
Nostalgia is as powerful a force in Russia as anywhere else.
But when it comes to the serious business of voting, most Russians look to the future, not the past.
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