Harry Potter, Governor

[ChrisD(RJ)]

RUSSIA: Harry Ivanovich Potter to run for Russian governor. 
MOSCOW, March 2 (Reuters) - Harry Potter has captivated readers and
cinema-goers worldwide, but a Russian man has decided to see if the famous
name can pass an altogether different test - winning him election as a
provincial governor.
After previous unsuccessful election campaigns in the Sverdlovsk region, the
32-year-old hopes to enlist a little magical help from the boy wizard by
changing his name to Harry Ivanovich Potter, NTV television reported.
Russians can change their family name, but must always have a middle name
derived from their father's first name - a law that prevented the aspiring
politicians from being called plain Harry Potter.
The boy wizard, created by British author J.K. Rowling, has proved a
controversial figure in Russia where some Russian Orthodox priests have said
the Harry Potter stories encourage satanism and undermine Christianity.
"People are going mad, they are doing things unthinkable for a sane person,"
said Archbishop Vikenty of Ekaterinburg, capital of the Urals region, when
NTV told him about the challenge.
(C) Reuters Limited 2003.