Zhirinovsky
(1946-)
Russian politician, leader of the far-right Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR) from 1991. His strong, sometimes bizarre views, advocating the use of nuclear weapons and the restoration of the Russian empire, initially cast him as a lightweight politician. However, his ability to win third place out of six candidates in Russia's first free presidential elections 1991, and the success of his party in winning nearly 23% of the vote and 15% of the seats in the Dec 1993 federal assembly elections, forced a reassessment.
His complex, unpredictable personality is tellingly revealed in his autobiography Last Thrust to the South which has been likened to Hitlers Mein Kampf. He has been seen as a threat to democratic progress in Russia.