NEITHER LIBERAL NOR DEMOCRATIC….
NEITHER LIBERAL NOR DEMOCRATIC….
Vladimir Zhirinovsky, jingo, bigot, demagogue, and caricature, led the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) to 23 percent of the vote in the last parliamentary elections, in 1993. The fear his rise inspired had much to do with the Yeltsin-at-any-cost attitude many Western leaders subsequently adopted. This time around, Russia’s Central Election Commission, citing problems with its candidates’ financial-disclosure statements, refused to register the party for December’s contest. Zhirinovsky did not protest but said he would create a new organization called the Zhirinovsky Bloc. The Bloc must complete the registration process, including financial disclosures, by October 24.
