Vladimir Zhirinovsky, a member of the State Duma from 1993 to 2022, former leader of the Liberal Democratic Party and perennial Russian presidential candidate (in six elections), took positions on many political issues through his public comments, his presidential campaign statements, and his voting record.
Zhirinovsky's positions tended towards the far-right of Russian politics, commonly being seen as fascist, however, Zhirinovsky himself sharply objected to such a characterization. In addition to being seen as a fascist, Zhirinovsky has also been regarded to be an ultranationalist. His views have also been described as chauvinistic and imperialistic. Zhirinovsky's plans for reshaping the presidency essentially have been to mold it into a dictatorship.
The LDPR defined its members as being individuals who do not separate their personal interests from those of the motherland, a "creator capable of carrying out the priority tasks of the motherland aimed at preserving peace and raising the standard of living of all the population of our vast country."
Zhirinovsky, during the 1993 legislative campaign, referred to LDPR as the “centre-right party” and claimed that its views were such that it could potentially be allied with Women of Russia and Civic Union in the State Duma. Zhirinovsky had a flair for demagoguery. His written policy positions have, at times, been more moderate than those he has espoused in speeches and interviews.
While Zhirinovsky and the LDPR formed a component of the political opposition to Boris Yeltsin in the 1990s, members of the LDPR largely voted against impeaching Yeltsin in 1999. Later, Zhirinovsky and the LDPR often supported the agenda of Vladimir Putin's government when voting in the Duma. Zhirinovsky's support for Putin dates back to Putin's early presidency.
Domestic policy In the early 1990s, the LDPR declared itself to have "a program for the development of our society in accordance with its own needs without any interference from the outside." This lightly appealed towards the Marxist concept of self-development. The LDPR platform declared that "the political activity of the LDPR is directed toward the restoration by peaceful means and the preservation of the Russian state that was created over the course of centuries; the restoration and guarding of the borders of the country, the realization within the country of the peaceful coexistence of all the populations inhabiting it–both small and large–with the right of preservation of traditions and customs, and the development of each individual's national culture and religion. Russia is a motherland for all, without any kind of discrimination."
In discussing Russia's difficulties, Zhirinovsky scapegoated the peoples of the Caucasus, Jews, neighboring nations, and the West.
Zhirinovsky desired to reestablish the Russian Empire through "imperial reconquest".Stephen E. Hanson, Post-Imperial Democracies: Ideology and Party Formation in Third Republic France, Weimar Germany, and Post-Soviet Russia (2011). Cambridge University Press. Zhirinovsky desired for the inner-boundaries to not be ethnically based, and for all inner regions to be subordinate to a strong central government in Moscow, creating an authoritarian Greater Russia.Hans-Georg Betz, Radical right-wing populism in Western Europe (1994). Palgrave Macmillan: p. 23.John B. Dunlop, The Rise of Russia and the Fall of the Soviet Empire (2011). Princeton University Press, p. 167. However, in 1996, he temporarily began moving in support of Yeltsin's vision to allow independence of former Soviet republics. However, he spoke in support of seeing regions inhabited by ethnic Russians secede from the Republics and join Russia.
Despite having since taken many positions to the contrary, during his 1991 presidential campaign, Zhirinovsky stated that he saw a need for Russia to rapidly transition to a "European model of society: free economy, human rights in first place, and civil society."
Cultural preservation Zhirinovsky opposed using foreign words in the Russian language, suggesting the renaming of the office of president to the "Supreme Ruler". In his 2018 campaign, he proposed banning foreign-language signage, and issuing penalties for every foreign word uttered by the media. The LDPR places an emphasis on the preservation of Russian culture.
In August 2014, Zhirinovsky proposed restoring Russia's Imperial flag and its God Save the Tsar! anthem. He advocated for Volgograd to be renamed Stalingrad (its WWII-era name), not because of his ideological position but out of respect for history.предложил переименовать Волгоград в Сталинград He proposed other Russian cities should restore their Soviet-era names.
Ethnic diversity Zhirinovsky, in 1993, stated his belief that the western powers had divided Russia by splintering its ethnic groups, fostering nationalism among the many minority nationalities in Russia.
Zhirinovsky was reported to have declared in the early 1990s, "Dark-skinned street vendors in Moscow make it look like a non-Russian city. This is a black stain that should be eradicated." In a television appearance during his 1992 visit to the United States, Zhirinovsky called "for the preservation of the white race" and warned that the white Americans were in danger of turning their country over to black and Hispanic people. In 2004, Zhirinovsky declared that the west should partner with Russia to expunge the threats of Islamic extremism and Asian immigrants. Zhirinovsky declared, "The white race is perishing. Every day there are fewer and fewer of us. We are half as many as we were 40 years ago. We must unite against the yellow peril and the green menace. We both have the same problem: the invasion of the Asians. You have Pakistan and India, we have central Asia and the Caucasus. Washington, London, Moscow and Tel Aviv need to form a common front. If we don't, the terrorist attacks we see today will continue for another 50 years."
Economic policy
Zhirinovsky's economic stances in the 1990s were characterized as 'economic populism'.
During his 1991 presidential campaign, Zhirinovsky vowed to remove all limitations from all forms of economic activity and to influence such activity only through taxation. Zhirinosky promised to lower prices on alcohol and to demand its sale in all commercial outlets. He summarized this campaign pledge by promising cheap vodka "at every corner, around the clock if I win." He stated: "Vodka is the national drink. It will be cheap when I come to power, and it will be sold at all retail outlets." In 1991, he said he would provide the leadership needed to revive the Russian economy.
During the 1993 legislative elections, LDPR believed that privatization should be limited to small or medium-sized business, land should remain under state ownership, industry should be state-controlled and all forms of “speculative trading” should be prohibited.
During the mid-1990s, the LDPR platform was very vague on economic policy, giving no clear indication as to whether it championed a move towards either socialism or capitalism. Instead, the party platform declared that it aimed "to create conditions in the country for the free exercise of the creative powers of the populations inhabiting it, and the assiduous utilization of the natural resources of our country." The LDPR platform also stated that "the aim of the LDPR's economic policy is to create a worthy and happy life of dignity and prosperity for every inhabitant of Russia–gradually without 'revolutionary leaps' and convolutions...without any prompting, or granting of enslaving credit, 'from the outside'." The LDPR advertised that its economic program would bring a supposed "100% improvement" to the lives of Russians.
In his 2018 campaign, Zhirinovsky pledged to crack down on oligarchs if elected president. He additionally proposed restricting speculative investments in housing. Zhirinovsky also proposed removing all restrictions on travel abroad for those with debt. He also proposed banning private debt collection activities, arguing that the exaction of debts owed should be carried out through the legal system and not by private individuals. Additionally, he proposed redenominating the ruble and nationalizing large business chains.
Family and marriage During his 1991 campaign, he promised to provide women with husbands.
In 2013, Zhirinovsky declared that the Northern Caucasus should be surrounded with barbed-wire fence and that its residents should have to pay a tax if they have more than two children (a two-child policy).
In his 2018 campaign, Zhirinvosky advocated banning marriages of convenience. He also argued that children should only be born with the consent and will of both parents.
Government reform
Governmental structure of the RSFSR In his 1991 presidential campaign, Zhirinovsky vowed to stop the disintegration of the USSR, indicating intention to keep the RSFSR as part of the Soviet Union and halt the decline of the Soviet government. His 1991 campaign program vowed that he would reject the policy by which Russia and the center (i.e. Moscow leadership of the USSR) are placed in opposition with each other.
In his 1991 campaign, Zhirinovsky vowed to adopt a new constitution and a new system of legislation. Zhirinovsky promised to "resolve national problems as they are resolved throughout the world, that is, by rejecting the division of the country on the basis of ethnic territories and switching instead to a system of division into regions and providences".
During his 1991 campaign, he proposed ending ethnic conflicts by partitioning Russia into gubernii (similar to US states) rather than national-territorial regions. He also proposed creating highly centralized government authority.
Governmental structure of the Russian Federation Throughout the existence of the Russian Federation, Zhirinovsky took multiple positions on the governmental structure of the Russian government.
Zhirinovsky was an ardent critic of the modern state structure of Russia. In particular, Zhirinovsky has criticized the Federal structure of Russia.
In 2003, he proposed merging the then 89 regions of Russia into just 15 provinces with leaders directly appointed by the president. During his 2012 campaign, Zhirinovsky stated that he believed that "Russia should be a centralized state without regional princelings". In his 2018 campaign, Zhirinovsky argued that Russia should be a unitary country that consists of 40 Governorates.Жириновский предлагает переименовать Россию
In its 1995 legislative campaign, the LDPR promised to preserve Russia's multi-party system if it were to come into power.
In 2003, Zhirinovsky proposed getting rid of the Federation Council which he called "irrelevant".
Zhirinovsky also proposed reducing the number of members of the State Duma from 450 to 200 and abolishing the Federation Council in order to establish a unicameral parliament.Жириновский пообещал сократить число депутатов в случае победы на выборах
In August 2014, he argued that Russia should abolish political parties and adopt an autocratic system in which the leader would be chosen by the "five to six thousand wisest people" in the country.
In 2018, after the conclusion of that year's presidential election, he stated that he believed that by 2024 Russia would transition from an elected presidency to an appointed state council.
Presidential authority In the early 1990s, Zhirinovsky made clear his desire to bring a dictatorship to Russia. He long advocated for the centralization of power.