Bomb Raises Fear Of Election Violence

A powerful car bomb critically injured the running mate of Moscow’s mayor Friday, triggering fresh fears of violence and civil unrest as the Russian presidential campaign reaches a climax.

Valery Shantsev, who was running on the ticket with Mayor Yuri Luzhkov, was seriously burned when a radio-controlled bomb went off under his car as he left his apartment complex Friday morning. An aide and a passerby were also injured.

The attack came amid repeated suggestions by both the Communist Party and its rivals in the June 16 balloting that the other side is plotting to disrupt the elections or start a civil war.