Leader of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia, Vladimir Zhirinovsky, is expected to arrive in Dushanbe today on a two-day working visit.
Today, Zhirinovsky is scheduled to see sights, visit the Hisor Fortress and vineyards in Tursunzoda.
Tomorrow, he is expected to hold meetings with some members of Tajikistan’s lower house (Majlisi Namoyandagon) of parliament (Majlisi Oli).
While in Dushanbe, Zhirinovsky also intends to hold meeting with students of Russian-Tajik Slavic University (RTSU).
According to the LDPR press center, he is also expected to meet with representatives of Tajikistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Vladimir Volfovich Zhirinovsky (born April 25, 1946) is a Russian ultranationalist politician and leader of the LDPR party (formerly Liberal Democratic Party of Russia). He is fiercely nationalist and has been described as “a showman of Russian politics, blending populist and nationalist rhetoric, anti-Western invective and a brash, confrontational style.” His views have sometimes been described by western media as fascist.
The Liberal Democratic Party was founded in April 1991, becoming the second registered party in the Soviet Union and therefore the first officially sanctioned opposition party.
Zhirinovsky's first political breakthrough came in June 1991 when he came third in Russia's first presidential election, gathering more than six million votes or 7.81%. Afterwards, the LDPR garnered a reputation as an ineffective vehicle for opposition against the government, and one that lacked either credibility or authenticity.
The LDPR gathered 23% of the vote in the 1993 Duma elections and achieved a broad representation throughout the country – the LDPR being the top vote-getter in 64 out of 87 regions.
Vladimir Zhirinovsky is member of the State Duma (1993–present); he was Deputy Chairman of the State Duma (2000–2011) and Liberal Democratic presidential candidate 1991, 1996, 2000, 2008, 2012 and 2018.
