Rusal Says De Selliers Is Norilsk Chairman Candidate

United Co. Rusal, trying to gain control of Russia's largest mining company OAO GMK Norilsk Nickel, named its candidate to lead Norilsk's board. Guy de Selliers, currently an independent director of Moscow-based Norilsk, is the ``best'' candidate because he has previous experience with the company, Rusal spokeswoman Vera Kurochkina said by phone today. Rusal sent a letter to Heinz Schimmelbusch, the other independent director, asking him to back De Selliers, she said. A June 30 investor vote left Rusal, which owns 25 percent of the nickel producer, with three representatives on the board. Billionaire Vladimir Potanin, the biggest Norilsk shareholder and an opponent of Rusal's intention to combine with the company, has four. Two independent directors were also elected. ``The chairman casts the decisive vote should the votes of the other eight directors be evenly split,'' Troika Dialog analysts Mikhail Stiskin and Sergey Donskoy wrote in a note to investors today. Potanin's investment company Interros Holding Co. will propose the billionaire as chairman, Interros spokesman Andrei Kirpichnikov said by phone today. Potanin has proposed a three- way merger with Rusal and iron-ore producer OAO Metalloinvest. ``It is in the interests of all shareholders that the chairman of the board should be independent of the two main shareholder groups,'' Rusal's Kurochkina said. Source: Bloomberg