Acting Moscow Mayor Vladimir Resin has joined the ruling United Russia party, the head of the party's Moscow branch said on Wednesday.
"Vladimir Resin was given a party membership card today," Viktor Seliverstov said.
Resin's move is widely seen as a bid to become the Moscow mayor. The 74 year old acting mayor filed his request shortly after a meeting with Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin on Tuesday.
United Russia will present a list of candidates for Moscow mayor to President Dmitry Medvedev on Saturday. The party's general committee will convene on Friday night or Saturday morning to agree a final list of three or four hopefuls.
Resin was appointed acting Moscow mayor after Yuri Luzhkov, who had headed Moscow since 1992, was fired by the Russian president last week after weeks of speculation that he would either step down or be sacked amid his worsening relations with the Kremlin.
Luzhkov left the pro-Kremlin United Russia party shortly after his dismissal.
MOSCOW, October 6 (RIA Novosti)
