Russia - Billionaire Mikhail D. Prokhorov Claims Signatures to Challenge Putin for President - NYTimes.com The billionaire businessman Mikhail D. Prokhorov said Friday that he had collected the two million signatures needed to compete in the March 4 presidential election. He plans to submit the documents to Russia's Central Election Commission next week, according to the RIA Novosti news agency. Mr. Prokhorov, in an opinion article in The Guardian this week, called for "evolution not revolution" and said Russia's era of "managed democracy" had ended. He has reportedly put about $12.5 million toward his campaign, more than any other candidate, but is considered unlikely to defeat Prime Minister Vladimir V. Putin.