Mikhail Kasyanov, best hope of Russia's marginalised liberal opposition, was last night set to be barred from the country's presidential election after officials said many signatures supporting his candidacy were forged.

Mr Kasyanov was not expected to score more than a few per cent in the March 2 poll, in which Dmitry Medvedev, Russian President Vladimir Putin's handpicked successor, is heading for a landslide victory.