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The independent presidential bid of Russia's Mikhail Kasyanov is in jeopardy¹ after the Russian prosecutor² accused his campaign of forging signatures on a petition required to register for the election.

俄罗斯独立的总统竞选人卡西亚诺夫正处于危险之中。此前，俄罗斯检察官指控他的竞选班子在注册参选的请愿书上伪造支持者的签名。

In an announcement carried on all major Russian television newscasts, the spokeswoman for the prosecutor-general, Tatyana Chernyshova, said evidence of forgery³ has emerged in the western Russian town of Rybinsk on nominating petitions filed by opposition⁴ candidate Mikhail Kasyanov.

俄罗斯所有的主要电视新闻节目都播放了总检察长的女发言人切尔内绍娃的一份声明。声明说，有证据显示，反对派候选人卡西亚诺夫在俄罗斯西部的雷宾斯克镇递交的提名请愿书上作假。

The spokeswoman said similar violations⁵ were uncovered by prosecutors⁶ in the Volga River province of Mari El. She adds that a regional prosecutor has launched criminal proceedings⁷ in the case.

切尔内绍娃说，马里埃尔共和国伏尔加河地区的检察官们还发现了其它类似的违规行为。她还说，一名地方检察官已经开始了这一案件的刑事诉讼程序。

The allegations of forgery in Mari El are said to involve 12,000 signatures.

马里埃尔共和国的作假案件据称涉及1万2千个签名。

Last week, Kasyanov filed two million signatures to register as an independent candidate for Russia's March 2 presidential election. Candidates from political parties represented in Parliament are not required to submit signatures.

上星期，卡西亚诺夫递交了一份有2百万支持者签名的请愿书，以独立候选人的身份注册参加将于3月2号举行的俄罗斯总统选举。在俄罗斯议会中拥有席位的政党的候选人不需要递交这种签名。

But a Russian Central Election Commission official, Nikolai Konkin, says a sampling of 400,000 signatures filed by Kasyanov shows more than 15 percent are inadmissible. A candidate is dismissed in Russia if only five percent are deemed invalid⁸. The Commission will review another large sample of signatures before making a determination about Kasyanov's eligibility⁹.

但是，俄罗斯中央选举委员会的官员孔金说，在抽样检查了卡西亚诺夫递交的40万个签名后，发现有超过15%的签名是无效的。在俄罗斯，如果一个候选人递交的签名中有5%被认定无效，这个候选人就将被取消资格。中央选举委员会在对卡西亚诺夫的竞选资格作出决定之前，还将对他递交的签名进行一次大规模的抽样检查。

Mikhail Kasyanov served more than three years as prime minister before his dismissal in 2004 by President Vladimir Putin. The former prime minister later became a vocal¹⁰ Kremlin critic.

卡西亚诺夫担任过3年多的俄罗斯总理，直到在2004年被普京总统解职。后来他时常对克里姆林宫进行批评。

At a Moscow news conference Tuesday, he accused the Kremlin of engaging in intimidation¹¹ and defamation¹², because it fears direct political competition.

卡西亚诺夫星期二在莫斯科的一个新闻发布会上指责克里姆林宫参与了恐吓和诽谤活动，因为它害怕面对直接的政治竞争。

Kasyanov says competition would mean opposition access to television, which would allow citizens to learn about alternative views of events in Russia and abroad.

卡西亚诺夫说，竞争意味着反对派可以出现在电视上，这将使老百姓可以得知关于俄罗斯国内外事务的不同见解。

Also present at the news conference were Kasyanov allies from various regions of the country. They told similar stories of official intimidation, including threats of job loss and late night visits to the homes of Kasyanov allies.

来自俄罗斯各个地区的卡西亚诺夫的盟友也出席了新闻发布会。他们也讲述了官方进行恐吓的类似事件，包括对他们以失业相威胁和深夜走访他们的家。

Suzanna Tsaraturian says she was questioned by police in Moscow about her gathering¹³ signatures for the candidate. She says the police who questioned her usually deal with organized crime.

卡西亚诺夫的支持者察拉图列恩说，警方在莫斯科审问她为卡西亚诺夫征集签名的事情。她说，审问她的警察平时是负责对付有组织犯罪的。

Tsaraturian notes that gathering signatures is somehow equated¹⁴ with organized crime. She says it is absurd and disgraceful that police arrive without notice and barge¹⁵ into people's homes.

察拉图列恩指出，不知怎么回事，征集签名被看成是一种有组织的犯罪活动。她说，警察在没有事先通知的情况下不请自来，闯入平民家中，这是荒唐而可耻的事情。

Kasyanov says although he is afraid of the apparent attempt to intimidate¹⁶ him, he has no intention of withdrawing from the presidential race, because he considers that Russia's constitution, democracy, and the country are at stake.

卡西亚诺夫说，虽然恐吓他的企图使他感到担心，但是他并不打算退出总统竞选，因为他认为俄罗斯的宪法、民主和整个国家正处于危急关头。

President Putin last month named First Deputy Prime Minister Dmitri Medvedev as his chosen successor. The support is widely viewed as a virtual guarantee of Medvedev's victory.

普京总统上个月指定第一副总理梅德韦杰夫为他的接班人。外界普遍认为，普京的支持实际上将保证梅德韦杰夫在总统竞选中获胜。

With less than two months before the election, there have been no debates and virtually no other signs of political campaign.

现在离总统竞选还有不到两个月的时间。候选人之间并没有进行辩论，俄罗斯国内也几乎没有出现展开政治竞选活动的其它迹象。