Civic Platform (Russian: Гражда́нская Платфо́рма, tr. Grazhdanskaya Platforma, IPA: [ɡrɐʐˈdanskəjə plɐtˈformə]) is a conservative political party in Russia. The party was formed on 4 June 2012 by businessman and 2012 presidential candidate Mikhail Prokhorov. The party was formed with 500 members, the minimum number required by law for a party to be registered in Russia, with the party originally being founded as a rudimentary mechanism through which independent candidates could stand in elections.