Russia officials: Let Stalin on the ballot

MOSCOW, Feb. 15 (UPI) -- The top election governing body in Russia has ordered a local election commission to accept the parliamentary candidacy of a man with the surname Stalin.

Dmitry Stalin's appeal to the Central Election Commission claimed local election officials in the Khanty-Mansi autonomous region refused to put his name on the March 13 ballots because he shares a surname with Soviet-era dictator Josef Stalin, RIA Novosti reported Tuesday.

The Khanty-Mansi officials said Stalin, a member of the A Just Russia party, was rejected after native minority groups accused the party of dirty election techniques.

The Central Election Commission criticized Stalin's omission from the ballot as "groundless" and ordered the officials to allow him on the ballot to "ensure his electoral rights."

The A Just Russia party released a statement saying the candidate "demands democracy."

"He thinks the commission took a jaundiced view of him just because of his surname," the party's statement said. "But what is Stalin guilty of if he was born and lived his whole life with this surname?"