# Candidates in the 1996 Russian presidential election

This article contains the list of candidates associated with the 1996 Russian presidential election.

## Registered candidates

| Candidate name, age, political party | Political offices | Campaign | Registration date |
| Vladimir Bryntsalov (49) Russian Socialist Party | Deputy of the State Duma (1995–2003) | campaign | 26 April 1996 |
| Mikhail Gorbachev (65) Independent | Leader of the Soviet Union General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (1985-1991) President of the Soviet Union (1990–1991) Chairman of the Supreme Soviet (1989-1990) Chairman of the Presidum of the Supreme Soviet (1988-1989) | campaign | 12 April 1996 |
| Svyatoslav Fyodorov (69) Party of Workers' Self-Government | People's Deputy of the Soviet Union (1989-1991) Deputy of the State Duma (1995-1999) | campaign | 19 April 1996 |
| Alexander Lebed (46) Congress of Russian Communities | Deputy of the State Duma (1995–1996) | campaign | 19 April 1996 |
| Martin Shakkum (44) Independent | Leader of the Socialist People's Party | campaign | 22 April 1996 |
| Yury Vlasov (60) Independent | Deputy of the State Duma (1993–1995) | campaign | 26 April 1996 |
| Grigory Yavlinsky (44) Yabloko | Chairman of Yabloko (1993–2008) Deputy of the State Duma (1993–2003) | campaign | 19 April 1996 |
| Boris Yeltsin (65) Independent | President of Russia (1991–1999) | campaign | 3 April 1996 |
| Vladimir Zhirinovsky (50) Liberal Democratic Party | Leader of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (1991–present) Deputy of the State Duma (1993–present) | campaign | 5 April 1996 |
| Gennady Zyuganov (52) Communist Party | First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation (1993–present) Deputy of the State Duma (1993–present) | campaign | 4 March 1996 |

## Withdrawn candidates

| Candidate name, age, political party | Candidate name, age, political party | Candidate name, age, political party | Political offices | Campaign | Details | Registration date | Date of withdrawal |
| Aman Tuleyev (52) Independent | | | Chairman of the Kemerovo Oblast Council of People's Deputies | campaign | He was registered as a candidate on 26 April 1996, but withdrew his candidacy on 8 June 1996 to support Gennady Zyuganov. Since Tuleyev withdrew his candidacy after the deadline, he was included in the ballots and even received 308 votes during the early voting. | 26 April 1996 | 8 June 1996 |

## Rejected candidates

78 voter initiative groups were authorized by the Central Election Commission to collect signatures. However, only seventeen candidates managed to submit petitions with one million signatures by the deadline on April 16. Six of these were rejected by the Central Election Commission.
* Sergei Mavrodi, Head of MMM investment fund
* Vladimir Podoprigora
* Galina Starovoytova, leader of Democratic Russia, had turned in her petition the day before the deadline. Her candidacy was rejected due to irregularities with signatures. Unsuccessfully appealed to Supreme Court.
* Artyom Tarasov, millionaire businessman, candidacy rejected due to irregularities with signatures. Unsuccessfully appealed to Supreme Court.
* Lev Ubozhko, leader of the Conservative Party. Candidacy was rejected due to irregularities with signatures. Unsuccessfully appealed to Supreme court.
* Viacheslav Ushakov, President of the Moscow Investment Foundation Joint Stock Company. Candidacy was rejected due to irregularities with signatures. Unsuccessfully appealed to Supreme Court.

## Declared candidates who withdrew without registering

Candidates nominated by political movements and initiative groups who withdrew without registering :
| Candidate | Positions | Party/movement |
| Mavsar Kh. Aduev | Editor of World Democratic Union newspaper | Independent |
| Anatoly G. Akinin | Director of the Union of Manufacturing Concerns | Independent |
| Vladimir Aksyonov | Former cosmonaut | Independent |
| Aleksandr S. Alekseev | Chairman of National Association of Russian Trade Unions | National Labor Party |
| Viktor Anpilov | Head of Communists - Working Russia - For the Soviet Union | RKKP |
| Alexander Barkashov | Leader of Russian National Unity | Russian National Unity |
| Tamara V. Bazyleva | President of Human Ecology International Concern | Independent |
| Vladimir S. Borovkov | Deputy Chairman of the All-Russia Lifeguard Society | Independent |
| Konstantin Borovoi | Chairman of the Party of Economic Freedom | Party of Economic Freedom |
| Bashir Chakhiev | Head of the Archives Service of Ingushetia | Independent |
| Viktor Chechevatov | Commander of the Far Eastern Branch | Independent |
| Vasily Chernyshev | Publisher | Independent |
| Nikolay Dalsky | President of the "General Agreement" Foundation | Independent |
| Boris Fyodorov | Minister of the State Duma (1993-1998), Deputy Prime Minister(1992-1994) Minister of Finance of Russia (1993-1994), Minister of Finance of the RSFSR (1990) | Go Russia |
| Victor Fedosov | | Union of Soviet Stalinists |
| Sergey Fomintsev | Director of ZOA Fomintsev Fund | Independent |
| Yegor Gaidar | Deputy of the State Duma, Prime Minister of Russia (1992), First Deputy Prime Minister of Russia (1992; 1993-1994), Minister of Finance (1991-1992) | Democratic Choice of Russia |
| Leonid Kazkov | Economist | Independent |
| Oleg Khabarov | Director of Interozon | Independent |
| Irina Khakamada | Deputy of the State Duma | Common Cause |
| Jan Koltunov | | |
| Vladislav Kuznetsov | Businessman | Independent |
| Alexander Lobanov | | Independent |
| Andrey Lychakov | Director of Ozon | Independent |
| Sergey Mavrodi | | Independent |
| Nikolay Maslov | Chairman of the Party of National Accord | Party of People's Consent |
| Vladimir Miloserdov | Chairman of the Russian Party | Russian Party |
| Vladimir Morozov | Director of Inyurkon | Independent |
| Vyacheslav Onegin | | Independent |
| Alexey Popov | Scientist | Independent |
| Valery Popov | Scientist | Independent |
| Peter Romanov | Deputy of the State Duma | Assembly of National-Democratic and Patriotic Forces |
| Alexander Rutskoy | Vice President of Russia (1991-1992) | Power |
| Nikolay Ruzavin | Farmer | Independent |
| Marat Sabirov | | |
| Alexander Sarychev | | People's Patriotic Union |
| Victor Semyonov | | Independent |
| Galina Sharova | | Independent |
| Alexey Shevchenko | | Independent |
| Anatoly Sidorov | Director of the Institute of Economics and Entrepreneurship | Independent |
| Vyacheslav Silaev | | Union of the Creative Forces of Russia |
| Sergey Skvortsov | Editor-in-chief of Narodnaya Gazeta | CPSU-2 |
| Valery Smirnov | Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Federal Tax Service | National Salvation Front |
| Mikhail Smirnov | Lawyer | Independent |
| Anatoly Stankov | Deputy of the Moscow City Duma | Independent |
| Sergey Sulakshin | Deputy of the State Duma | Independent |
| Stanislav Terekhov | Chairman of the Union of Officers | Indpependent |
| Vasily Terentyev | | The Anti-Communist People's Party |
| Sergey Aminovich Tokhtabiev | President of the International Fund for the Development of Small Peoples and Ethnic Groups | Independent |
| Alexander Vasilyev | Leader of Peace with God | Independent |
| Andrey Volkov | | Independent |
| Arkady Volsky | President of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs | Independent |
| Vladimir Voronin | | Movement for the National Revival of Russia |
| Andrei Zavidia | President of the Garland Group | Russian Republican Party |
| Sergey Zyryanov | President of ICP "Life" | Independent |

### Other declared candidates

* Stanislav Govorukhin, film director
* Aleksandr Ivanov-Sukharevsky, founder and leader of People's National Party
* Nikolai Lysenko, founder and leader of NPRP
* Vladimir Shumeyko, former chairman of the Federation Council

## Possible candidates who did not run

Candidates who refused nominations by political movements and initiative groups :
| Candidate | Positions | Party/movement |
| Boris Gromov | Deputy of State Duma; vice-presidential candidate in 1991 | My Fatherland |
| Boris Nemtsov | Governor of Nizhny Novgorod | Independent |
| Valery Zorkin | Judge of the Constitution Court of Russia | Independent |
The following individuals were included in some polls, were referred to in the media as possible candidates or had publicly expressed interest long before the elections but never announced that they would run.
* Ramazan Abdulatipov, former Deputy Chairman of the Federation Council and Chairman of the Soviet of Nationalities; vice presidential candidate in 1991
* Viktor Anpilov, politician and trade unionist
* Sergey Baburin, Deputy of the State Duma
* Vadim Bakatin, former chairman of the KGB and Minister of Interior of the Soviet Union
* Vladimir Bukovsky, activist (was urged to run)
* Viktor Chernomyrdin
* Yegor Gaidar, former acting prime minister of Russia
* Pavel Grachev, Minister of Defence
* Boris Fyodorov
* Ruslan Khasbulatov
* Yury Kokov
* Sergei Kovalev
* Andrei Kozyrev, former Minister of Foreign Affairs
* Filippovna Lakhova
* Yury Luzhkov, Mayor of Moscow
* Albert Makashov, Deputy of the State Duma
* Ella Pamfilova
* Gavriil Kharitonovich Popov, former mayor of Moscow
* Nikolai Ryzhkov, Deputy of the State Duma, former chairman of the Council of Ministers, head of the Economic Department of the Central Committee; Full member of the 26th and 27th Politburos, Member of the 25th Secretariat; full member of the 26th, 27th, 28th of the Central Committee; presidential candidate in 1991
* Eduard Rossel, member of the Federation Council
* Ivan Rybkin
* Vladimir Shcherbakov,
* Sergey Shakhray, co-author of the Constitution of the Russian Federation and former deputy prime minister
* Alexander Shokhin, former Minister of Labour, Minister of the Economy, Deputy Chairman of the Government
* Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, author
* Yury Skokov, leader of Congress of Russian Communities; former First Deputy Prime Minister of Russia and Secretary of the Security Council
* Anatoly Sobchak, Mayor of Saint Petersburg
* Oleg Soskovets
* Nikolay Travkin
* Arkady Volsky
* Leonid Yakubovich, television personality