http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20031208/ap_on_re_eu/russia_comeback_kid_2
Russian Has Strong Comeback in Elections
Mon Dec 8, 5:54 AM ET
By MARA D. BELLABY, Associated Press Writer
MOSCOW - The court jester of Russian politics, Vladimir Zhirinovksy,
has led his nationalist party on a surprisingly strong comeback in
parliamentary elections with his unique mix of bad-boy behavior,
populist politicking — and support for the Kremlin.
Zhirinovsky's misnamed Liberal Democratic Party more than doubled its
share of the votes compared to the 1999 election, according to
preliminary election results from Sunday's vote. As the ballot
counting continued Monday, the party was in third race behind the
Communists and the election's biggest winner, United Russia.
"I am speaking in the name of millions," Zhirinovsky declared on
independent NTV television, looking every bit the attention-grabber in
a bright red shirt and loud tie. "The voters spoke .... and if you
don't like it, then leave."
The flamboyant leader — who once advocated retaking Alaska,
suggested polygamy as a way to solve Russia's population decline and
never hesitated to throw a punch when angry — shocked the world
in 1993 by capturing nearly a quarter of the national vote in
parliamentary elections.
Zhirinovsky's main platform was to rebuild the Russian empire and end
Moscow's flirtation with the United States. But Zhirinovsky proved
more talk than action and largely supported former President Boris
Yeltsin, alienating his supporters who by 1999 had largely abandoned
him, giving him only 6 percent of the vote. Similarly, in the outgoing
Duma, Zhirinovsky's party almost always voted the Kremlin line despite
his fiery statements.
Leonid Sedov, a senior analyst at the independent polling agency
VTsIOM-A, likened Zhirinovsky to "Putin in a crooked mirror."
Both rely on similar themes for their popularity — restoring
order, Russia's greatness — but Zhirinovsky states them in a
different, less-generally acceptable way. That earns him an almost
permanent spot on televised political roundtables. His outbursts
always make the nightly news, making him stand out from a field
crowded with colorless, bureaucratic candidates.
In the largely lackluster campaign season, Zhirinovsky provided one of
the few sparks — accusing a general of sending his own son to
death in Chechnya (news - web sites), setting off a brawl at the end
of a political talk show. It was the second time during the election
that Zhirinovsky was accused of starting a fight.
On election day, Zhirinovsky touched off another ruckus, after getting
into an argument with election officials and bystanders at a Moscow
polling station. "Get out of here!" Zhirinovsky hollered at a woman
who scolded him for his behavior. "She is crazy! Show me a note from
your psychiatrist!"
The 57-year-old derives most of his popularity from Russians fed up
with a system they blame for keeping them impoverished while enriching
some of their countrymen after the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Zhirinovsky frequently lashes out at the so-called oligarchs, a theme
he repeated after the election criticizing his "Mercedes-driving"
compatriots.
But among those that revere Putin, Zhirinovsky treads carefully. He
told Russian state-controlled television that he anticipated a
"constructive relationship" with the pro-Kremlin United Russia,
suggesting that they were the perfect partners for his nationalist
party.
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