According to the newspaper, Mr. Glazyev is a rising political star in Russia. To some he is a nationalist demogogue riding a Russian backlash against democracy. To others he is post-Soviet Russia's first genuine social democrat, offering something like a Russian version of a New Deal. While opinions on Sergey Glazyev diverge widely, one thing is indisputable: he is Russia's fastest-rising political star, the CSM says.

The popularity of Mr. Glazyev is due to his unique political and economic position, the newspaper reports. In particular, he points to the fact that no responsible, socially-oriented policy has been developed in Russia since 1991. Despite his social leanings, the leader of the Motherland (Rodina) bloc remains a market economist. He is not afraid of criticizing Russia's oligarchs, who are unpopular with ordinary people, and calls for broader and tighter state control over the use of natural resources and manufacturing. Mr. Glazyev is more popular than Motherland's other cochairman, Dmitry Rogozin. Glazyev is a socialist, Rogozin is a nationalist, many Russian politicians say, the newspaper concludes.

Despite his growing popularity, Sergey Glazyev doesn't stand much of a chance in the March vote. At best, he will be second to Vladimir Putin. However, his political capital can rise significantly towards the 2008 elections, and his claim to power will not be unfounded, according to the CSM.