MarshalBraginsky
Banned
At least there is one thing that comes out of Berlusconi's possible trial: he wouldn't get involved in a scandal that includes the bunga-bunga parties.
Zhirinovsky's Russian Empire
- Thread starter Pellegrino
- Start date
Orville_third
Banned
Of course, would Zhirinovski or his allies be funneling money into Lega Nord and other separatist groups?
Oh, that would be a terrible idea and even Zhirinovsky would understand that! Real life teaches that the North League, which is already pretty much a do-nothing party, becomes EVEN MORE a do-nothing party when flushed with money. There's never really been any kind of secessionist feelings in the upper echelons of the party, it's always been a rather inelaborate scam to attract voters and money by reproposing an old strategy of the Italian Communist Party (of which Umberto Bossi was a member) based on the identification of the voter as part of a greater community (identifying oneself inside a wider, compact movement always works wonders in Italy), by simply transferring the place of aggregation, i.e. the factory for the Communists, to a geographical semi-invented place, Padania, almost immediately transformed into a sort of Agarthi during ancient, undefined times to lure the ignorants.
In fact, the party hierarchy became so complacent about the ultimate effect of this strategy, disregarding the popular perception of their chronic inaction, that the average Italian voter has by now started to tear down thair dream of becoming the great regional party of the North and the Party is currently receding on all fronts in every region.
To cut the long story short, Zhirinovsky is a clown, but Umberto Bossi and the other Po-worshippers-in-charge are such bigger clowns that the Russian President will notice their real value a long time before signing any kind of secret agreement for financial help.
BTW, hi Pellegrino Shots! Long-time lurker here! Keep giving us accounts of bleak times and I'll be a happy panda.
isn't that Custer and a bunch of army troopers? Cowboys are the guys who, you know, herd/feed/brand cows. And.. peaceful? Cowboys in the old west were more like oil field workers today... guys who work long grinding hours out in the middle of nowhere, and raise hell when they get to town once a week...MarshalBraginsky
Banned
So I guess that the UIS by the end of Zhirinovsky's reign would be in an extremely worse shape.
You are describing real historical cowboys (who also happened to be 25% black and Mexican). The criticized article was in reference to the pop-culture vigilante cowboy, and the posters criticized the journalist for ignoring how that trope is just as violent as the pop-culture Cossak in Russia.
okay, but making a comment about cowboys and posting a pic of US army troopers is kinda
Oh, that would be a terrible idea and even Zhirinovsky would understand that! Real life teaches that the North League, which is already pretty much a do-nothing party, becomes EVEN MORE a do-nothing party when flushed with money. There's never really been any kind of secessionist feelings in the upper echelons of the party, it's always been a rather inelaborate scam to attract voters and money by reproposing an old strategy of the Italian Communist Party (of which Umberto Bossi was a member) based on the identification of the voter as part of a greater community (identifying oneself inside a wider, compact movement always works wonders in Italy), by simply transferring the place of aggregation, i.e. the factory for the Communists, to a geographical semi-invented place, Padania, almost immediately transformed into a sort of Agarthi during ancient, undefined times to lure the ignorants.
In fact, the party hierarchy became so complacent about the ultimate effect of this strategy, disregarding the popular perception of their chronic inaction, that the average Italian voter has by now started to tear down thair dream of becoming the great regional party of the North and the Party is currently receding on all fronts in every region.
To cut the long story short, Zhirinovsky is a clown, but Umberto Bossi and the other Po-worshippers-in-charge are such bigger clowns that the Russian President will notice their real value a long time before signing any kind of secret agreement for financial help.
BTW, hi Pellegrino Shots! Long-time lurker here! Keep giving us accounts of bleak times and I'll be a happy panda.
Thank you!
. I will keep the updates coming.And I agree on Lega Nord. I don't think the UIS will be that interested I funneling money to them since they are seen as unlikely to achieve their goal and/or seriously destabilize the country. They would probably be seen as a bad investment for Zhirinovsky
MarshalBraginsky
Banned
So would the next update still cover the Crimean Tatars, or are we going deeper into the labyrinth that is the inner workings of the UIS?
Right now I am working on a UIS update that deals with the collapse of the coalition between Zhirinovsky and the reformist and the 1995 legislative election. The thing is I do have some articles written in regards to the Tartars and even a few others, but they just don't flow with each other so I'm sort of holding on to them. I had one about the September Quebec referendum, but it just felt out of place when discussing Uzbekistan, so I hope to get that one into an update soon.
MarshalBraginsky
Banned
Would Zavidiya still be around in the political arena now that he's busy selling newspapers?
Given that Ukraine is still in the clutches of the Russians, that isn't all too reassuring...
You know, I have not yet decided. Orginally I considered the UIS trying to create a Slovak-Czech feud after the Velvet Divorce, but the more I thought about it the less likely I think it is that Slovakia would really want anything to do with the UIS. But I am still considering a few things and have not yet ruled anything out...
MarshalBraginsky
Banned
IOTL Zhirinovsky's ramblings led to the admission of the Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia into NATO.
PART SIXTY SIX: WINNING BY LOSING
PART SIXTY SIX: WINNING BY LOSING
PART SIXTY SIX: WINNING BY LOSING
Although Zhirinovsky seems like the comeback kid time and time again, this time he has really gone to far with voters, and rather than try and make amends he only makes the situation worse (as he did in OTL). We also see a lot of new names, folks who played a major role in Russia in the mid 1990s...
Alexi Kudrin:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexei_Kudrin
Bank of Cyprus:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bank_of_cyprus
Michael Sarris:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Sarris
Northern Rock bank (Britian):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_Rock
Boris Berezovsky:
http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/03/23/17431221-russian-tycoon-berezovsky-found-dead-in-london
Yegor Gaidar:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yegor_Gaidar
Democratic Choice of Russia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democratic_Choice_of_Russia
Yabloko:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yabloko
__________________________________________________
Cyprus now looks to seize whopping 25% from the bank accounts of wealthy depositors
March 24, 2013
By Michael Robertson
Reuters
NICOSIA -- Cyprus announced yesterday that it was preparing to seize a quarter of the value of large deposits at Bank of Cyprus as it desperately struggles to raise the funds for a bailout from the European Union and to avoid a “financial collapse of epic proportions.”
Finance Minister Michael Sarris indicated that "some progress" had been made in regards to talks between Nicosia and officials from the European Union, European Central Bank and International Monetary Fund. However, his announcement that Cyprus was prepared to impose a levy of around 25 percent on holdings of over 100,000 Euros at Bank of Cyprus earned harsh criticism from his German and UIS counterparts, who expressed serious concern over the unprecedented move.
“Considering UIS nationals account for nearly 60 percent of all accounts over 100,000 Euros in the Bank of Cyprus, it appears clear to us that this is an attempt to have the Union of Independent States pay for Cyprus’ economic mismanagement,” commented UIS Financial Minister Alexei Kudrin, “we doubt this proposal would have even been considered if it had been EU accounts in question.”
Cyprus rejected claims of UIS persecution, and questioned Kudrin’s decision to play the “Zhirinovsky card” in regards to allegations of Russian persecution.
“This sort of rhetoric from Moscow is not helpful,” Sarris said.
The proposed levy also drew harsh criticism from Germany, which expressed the opinion that that the levy could prove just as painful for ordinary Cypriots than to Russian investors.
Germany expressed “deep concern” over a potential “flood of money from the island” on Tuesday; when banks are due to reopen after a week long lockdown.
Russian billionaire Boris Berezovsky attempted to calm in London in regards to the Northern Rock Bank. Berezovsky purchased the Northern Rock during the 2008 global financial meltdown, and has struggled to ease fears of UIS reprisals against the British bank.
“For one thing it would be impossible for the UIS to levy a 25 percent tax on Northern Rock holdings,” Berezovsky told the BBC, “it still remains a British company, and is covered by British law. Much of this rhetoric is coming from Rossiya-1, which I might add is owned by the Galand Conglomerate, which I might further add is owned by Andrei Zavidiya.”
Zavidiya is one of over a dozen Russian billionaires who deposited nearly 40 billion Euros into the Bank of Cyprus. Although Zavidiya owns a large percentage of the former UIS state controlled media, he is nonetheless seen as a controversial figure in the UIS. The former vice president under Vladimir Zhirinovsky from 1991-1996, Zavidiya’s critics have often attacked him for “meddling in politics to further his own personal fortune,” and the billionaire was briefly charged with corruption in 2004 under accusations that he bribed several politicians in the UIS in order to obtain preferential business contracts. However, his acquittal, coupled with his subsequent entry into international banking, has resulted in his financial empire expanding. And many believe that this may be a ploy on the part of Zavidiya to expand his empire even more.
“Just a few days ago he was in negotiations with the Cypriot government in regards to loaning nearly 17 billion Euros to the Bank of Cyprus,” commented Berezovsky, “however, those negotiations fell apart. If his track record is any indication, what he is doing right now is using his media empire to destroy the Bank of Cyprus. Mark my words, after there is a run on the Bank of Cyprus on Tuesday morning the Cypriots will agree to anything Andrei Zavidiya demands.”
“My Russia- An Autobiography by former Russian Prime Minister Gennady Burbulis”
Published by Interbook, © 1998
CHAPTER SIXTY ONE
The room was in a near riot. Generals were yelling at each other while reformists were screaming at the President and the Liberal Democrats. I knew the coalition was dead yesterday when I had to help drag Vladimir Zhirinovsky off Yevgenia Tishkovskaya, but I was shocked that even the 16-man Committee for State Security and Defense seemed broken beyond repair. The fragile coalition had been torn apart, and I was not even sure if it could survive until the legislative elections in three months, let alone the next presidential election in 1996.
“We need to impeach the president!” screamed Aleksandr Korzhakov, “you heard President Luzhkov! He is a national embarrassment.”
However, General Tikhomirov was screaming that he would personally shoot the first MP who suggested such a thing in the Duma. He was afraid that if the liberals took over the war in Chechnya would end and he would be blamed for the defeat.
Suddenly the door opened and Vice President Zavidiya walked in smiling. All of the screaming stopped as everyone glared at him. But Zavidiya was not bothered in the least as he took a seat next to President Zhirinovsky. He looked around the room, still smiling.
“What?” he asked sarcastically, “you can’t be blaming this shit on me? You did this to yourself. Apparently Gennady couldn’t keep his Duma under control.”
“Yes!” Zhirinovsky said angrily as he pointed to me, “she was one of yours! You let her do this to me!”
“Give me the order and I will have Burbulis sent to Kunashir!” General Tikhomirov said as he jumped out of his seat.
“If you lay one hand on the Prime Minister I will see to it that you are arrested and shot for treason,” General Sergei Stepashin said as he stood up. The standoff caused Zavidiya to chuckle.
“What’s so funny?” General Stepashin asked angrily.
“You two,” he replied with a laugh, “why don’t you just pull out your cocks already and just measure them?”
The two Generals look poised to jump on Zavidiya, but the Vice President seemed unconcerned as he stood up.
“I hate to interrupt this wonderful party,” he said, “but I just wanted to confirm that the President will be on Vesti tonight.”
He then turned to Zhirinovsky, who eyed him suspiciously.
“I think it would be a good opportunity to tell Tishkovskaya what you really think about her on national television,” he said as he put his hand on his shoulder, “Everyone in the country will be watching.”
Zavidiya started to walk out of the room before he stopped again and turned around.
“Oh, there was one more thing,” he said as he glared at General Lebed, “I quit.”
Zhirinovsky jumped out of his chair and started to scream at the Vice President.
“No offense Mr. President,” Zavidiya said as he interrupted him “but General Lebed opened my eyes. The people deserve a full time Vice President, and that isn’t me. I appreciate all you have done for me, and I look forward to seeing you tonight.”
Zhirinovsky turned to glare at General Lebed, who looked nervous as he watched the Vice President walk out of the room. I couldn’t stand for the charade any longer. I jumped up and ran out after him.
“What the hell was that?” I said as I grabbed his arm in the hallway, “you want to make an enemy of Zhirinovsky, fine. You want to make an enemy of the reformist as well, fine. But you seriously want to piss off the military on top of that? Are you nuts! Everything you have is based on an agreement by the government that you run the state media. What makes you think that we can’t take that away from you?”
“Mr. Prime Minister,” he said coldly, “it actually isn’t up to you anymore. I don’t know if you noticed, but the VGTRK is now a privately held cooperation. You would need to get the board of directors to fire me.”
“And what makes you think that we don’t have enough influence to do just that?”
“You honestly have no idea who is on my board of directors, do you?” Zavidiya said with a chuckle, “my God, you really are clueless.”
I stood there, unwilling to admit that he did have me puzzled. Who could it be? Was it someone in the cabinet double dealing with Zavidiya? Was it a General from the 16-man Committee? How did I not know who was now running the largest media cooperation in the UIS? I heard the elevator door open and, in the corner of my eye could see a woman standing inside.
“Gennady,” the woman from the elevator said, “are you joining us for lunch?”
I felt the blood rush out of my face as I turned towards the elevator. This couldn’t be! He couldn’t have!
“You should join us,” Zavidiya said, clearly holding back laughter “your good friend Victor Ivanenko will also be there for lunch. I am sure he would love to tell you all about Yukos and his various business ventures, including a partnership with the Galand Conglomerate.”
I said nothing as I stared at the elevator, still stunned by what I saw. Zavidiya chuckled as he walked towards the elevator, before stopping one last time and turning around to face me again.
“You know, in the sport of boxing there was a time, back in the 1920s, when the judges were considered so corrupt that their decisions were actually ignored,” he said as he glared at me, “do you know who picked the winner of the fight back in the 1920s?”
I said nothing.
“The journalists.” He said with a laugh. “Hope you get a chance to watch Vesti tonight. It will be a hell of a show.”
With that I watched as the now former Vice President stepped into the elevator with Yelena Baturina, wife of UIS President Yuri Luzhkov.
Transcript from Vesti News, September 15, 1995
Guest: President Vladimir Zhirinovsky and Yevgenia Tishkovskaya
Moderator: So Mr. President, will you apologize to Ms. Tishkovskaya here and now?
Moderator: So Mr. President, will you apologize to Ms. Tishkovskaya here and now?
Zhirinovsky: Absolutely not!
Moderator: Don’t you worry about the impact this decision will have next year when you run for reelection?
Zhirinovsky: No. I know that the people will come out and support me. They will vote for me.
Moderator: But polls indicate your support with female voters has dropped 40-points since this incident.
Zhirinovsky: That doesn’t concern me; in the end it will win me more votes. Because real men want to vote for a President who is firm, a President who knows how to put a woman in her place. And the Russian man will tell his woman how to vote. And those women will listen to their man unless they are a lesbian like Ms. Tishkovskaya.
Tishkovskaya (angrily): This is ridiculous.
Zhirinovsky: Let me tell you the truth. Ms. Tishkovskaya dreams of being raped, but she is too ugly for any man to rape her, so she goes around screaming at me, making my life miserable.
Tishkovskaya (angrily): This is absurd! You are a pathetic little man!
(Tishkovskaya stands up and removes the microphone from her lapel)
Tishkovskaya: (inaudible)
Zhirinovsky: How dare you! How dare you speak to me that way!
Tishkovskaya: (mostly inaudible, but the word “sue” can be heard)
Zhirinovsky: Well I plan to sue you! You nearly broke my nose! You filthy whore!
Liberal Democratic Party of Russia Trounced in Russian Legislative Elections; pro-capitalist parties fall short of a majority
December 18, 1995
By Vincent J. Shanks,
Chicago Tribune.
MOSCOW — In a bitterly contested legislative election, the ruling Liberal Democratic Party of Russia lost nearly half of its seats, winning only 67 seats and finishing in a dismal fourth place. Many Russians were appalled at the obscene statements made by the Russian President, Vladimir Zhirinovsky, who also headed the LDP. However, Zhirinovsky’s Liberal Democratic Party may still wield some power as it appears that neither the free-market oriented reformist parties nor the reformed Communist Party are able to form a majority. The biggest winner was the formally unheralded Unity Party, founded by former KGB Director Vladimir Putin. Unity won 101 seats, but seems unwilling to form a coalition with either the reformist or the reformed Communist Party for fear of tarnishing its chances in the 1996 Presidential election.
The Worker’s Party (formally the Communist Party of Russia) won 100 seats, but has already angered many former Communists by indicating a desire to form a coalition government with the Liberal Democratic Party. Gennady Zyuganov, leader of the Worker’s Party, earned scorn from many Communists when he renounced the Communist Party’s attempt to seize power during the 1993 Constitutional Crisis, and called on his fellow Communists to “reject the coup.” Many Communists feel that Zyuganov is little more than a mouthpiece of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party. However, Zyuganov’s opposition to free market reforms has helped him repair his badly tarnished reputation.
The biggest loser, besides the Liberal Democratic Party, was the Party for a Free and Democratic Russia, which lost over one hundred seats as it dropped down to 69 seats. Many Russians opposed the coalition formed between the Party for a Free and Democratic Russia and the Liberal Democratic Party, as well as the PFDR’s support of the war in Chechnya (which PFDR head Mikhail Arutyunov called a “mistake”). Picking up the vast majority of those seats was the formally unheralded Democratic Choice of Russia, headed by Prime Minister Gennady Burbulis and economist Yegor Gaidar. The DCR captured 49 seats to finish a respectable fifth. The liberal Yabloko finished in sixth place with 41 seats while the radical right wing Bolshevik Party finished in distant seventh place with 8 seats. Six other parties split the remaining 15 seats.
Although the Liberal Democratic Party suffered badly in this election, there is little question that they remain a powerful force in the Duma.
“If Unity forms a coalition with the Worker’s Party and the LDP then they control the Duma,” commented Dan Edwards, a professor of Russian History at Northwestern, “but since it appears that Vladimir Putin doesn’t want to associate with the Worker’s Party or the LDP, everything is up in the air. The reformist parties have made it abundantly clear that under no circumstance will they form a coalition with the LDP, but without them they still only have about 160 seats, far short of the 225 needed to form a majority. I suspect that the Unity Party may try and form a coalition with the reformist block, but they share little ideology with each other, and many reformists feel that Putin is a lapdog of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko. We may have a situation where there is no majority at all, which not only would produce a dysfunctional Duma, but could strengthen Vladimir Zhirinovsky, who would no longer have the Duma to act as a check on his presidential power. It is strange, but he might just end up winning by losing.”
PART SIXTY SIX: WINNING BY LOSING
Although Zhirinovsky seems like the comeback kid time and time again, this time he has really gone to far with voters, and rather than try and make amends he only makes the situation worse (as he did in OTL). We also see a lot of new names, folks who played a major role in Russia in the mid 1990s...
Alexi Kudrin:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexei_Kudrin
Bank of Cyprus:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bank_of_cyprus
Michael Sarris:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Sarris
Northern Rock bank (Britian):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_Rock
Boris Berezovsky:
http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/03/23/17431221-russian-tycoon-berezovsky-found-dead-in-london
Yegor Gaidar:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yegor_Gaidar
Democratic Choice of Russia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democratic_Choice_of_Russia
Yabloko:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yabloko
__________________________________________________
Cyprus now looks to seize whopping 25% from the bank accounts of wealthy depositors
March 24, 2013
By Michael Robertson
Reuters
NICOSIA -- Cyprus announced yesterday that it was preparing to seize a quarter of the value of large deposits at Bank of Cyprus as it desperately struggles to raise the funds for a bailout from the European Union and to avoid a “financial collapse of epic proportions.”
Finance Minister Michael Sarris indicated that "some progress" had been made in regards to talks between Nicosia and officials from the European Union, European Central Bank and International Monetary Fund. However, his announcement that Cyprus was prepared to impose a levy of around 25 percent on holdings of over 100,000 Euros at Bank of Cyprus earned harsh criticism from his German and UIS counterparts, who expressed serious concern over the unprecedented move.
“Considering UIS nationals account for nearly 60 percent of all accounts over 100,000 Euros in the Bank of Cyprus, it appears clear to us that this is an attempt to have the Union of Independent States pay for Cyprus’ economic mismanagement,” commented UIS Financial Minister Alexei Kudrin, “we doubt this proposal would have even been considered if it had been EU accounts in question.”
Cyprus rejected claims of UIS persecution, and questioned Kudrin’s decision to play the “Zhirinovsky card” in regards to allegations of Russian persecution.
“This sort of rhetoric from Moscow is not helpful,” Sarris said.
The proposed levy also drew harsh criticism from Germany, which expressed the opinion that that the levy could prove just as painful for ordinary Cypriots than to Russian investors.
Germany expressed “deep concern” over a potential “flood of money from the island” on Tuesday; when banks are due to reopen after a week long lockdown.
Russian billionaire Boris Berezovsky attempted to calm in London in regards to the Northern Rock Bank. Berezovsky purchased the Northern Rock during the 2008 global financial meltdown, and has struggled to ease fears of UIS reprisals against the British bank.
“For one thing it would be impossible for the UIS to levy a 25 percent tax on Northern Rock holdings,” Berezovsky told the BBC, “it still remains a British company, and is covered by British law. Much of this rhetoric is coming from Rossiya-1, which I might add is owned by the Galand Conglomerate, which I might further add is owned by Andrei Zavidiya.”
Zavidiya is one of over a dozen Russian billionaires who deposited nearly 40 billion Euros into the Bank of Cyprus. Although Zavidiya owns a large percentage of the former UIS state controlled media, he is nonetheless seen as a controversial figure in the UIS. The former vice president under Vladimir Zhirinovsky from 1991-1996, Zavidiya’s critics have often attacked him for “meddling in politics to further his own personal fortune,” and the billionaire was briefly charged with corruption in 2004 under accusations that he bribed several politicians in the UIS in order to obtain preferential business contracts. However, his acquittal, coupled with his subsequent entry into international banking, has resulted in his financial empire expanding. And many believe that this may be a ploy on the part of Zavidiya to expand his empire even more.
“Just a few days ago he was in negotiations with the Cypriot government in regards to loaning nearly 17 billion Euros to the Bank of Cyprus,” commented Berezovsky, “however, those negotiations fell apart. If his track record is any indication, what he is doing right now is using his media empire to destroy the Bank of Cyprus. Mark my words, after there is a run on the Bank of Cyprus on Tuesday morning the Cypriots will agree to anything Andrei Zavidiya demands.”
“My Russia- An Autobiography by former Russian Prime Minister Gennady Burbulis”
Published by Interbook, © 1998
CHAPTER SIXTY ONE
The room was in a near riot. Generals were yelling at each other while reformists were screaming at the President and the Liberal Democrats. I knew the coalition was dead yesterday when I had to help drag Vladimir Zhirinovsky off Yevgenia Tishkovskaya, but I was shocked that even the 16-man Committee for State Security and Defense seemed broken beyond repair. The fragile coalition had been torn apart, and I was not even sure if it could survive until the legislative elections in three months, let alone the next presidential election in 1996.
“We need to impeach the president!” screamed Aleksandr Korzhakov, “you heard President Luzhkov! He is a national embarrassment.”
However, General Tikhomirov was screaming that he would personally shoot the first MP who suggested such a thing in the Duma. He was afraid that if the liberals took over the war in Chechnya would end and he would be blamed for the defeat.
Suddenly the door opened and Vice President Zavidiya walked in smiling. All of the screaming stopped as everyone glared at him. But Zavidiya was not bothered in the least as he took a seat next to President Zhirinovsky. He looked around the room, still smiling.
“What?” he asked sarcastically, “you can’t be blaming this shit on me? You did this to yourself. Apparently Gennady couldn’t keep his Duma under control.”
“Yes!” Zhirinovsky said angrily as he pointed to me, “she was one of yours! You let her do this to me!”
“Give me the order and I will have Burbulis sent to Kunashir!” General Tikhomirov said as he jumped out of his seat.
“If you lay one hand on the Prime Minister I will see to it that you are arrested and shot for treason,” General Sergei Stepashin said as he stood up. The standoff caused Zavidiya to chuckle.
“What’s so funny?” General Stepashin asked angrily.
“You two,” he replied with a laugh, “why don’t you just pull out your cocks already and just measure them?”
The two Generals look poised to jump on Zavidiya, but the Vice President seemed unconcerned as he stood up.
“I hate to interrupt this wonderful party,” he said, “but I just wanted to confirm that the President will be on Vesti tonight.”
He then turned to Zhirinovsky, who eyed him suspiciously.
“I think it would be a good opportunity to tell Tishkovskaya what you really think about her on national television,” he said as he put his hand on his shoulder, “Everyone in the country will be watching.”
Zavidiya started to walk out of the room before he stopped again and turned around.
“Oh, there was one more thing,” he said as he glared at General Lebed, “I quit.”
Zhirinovsky jumped out of his chair and started to scream at the Vice President.
“No offense Mr. President,” Zavidiya said as he interrupted him “but General Lebed opened my eyes. The people deserve a full time Vice President, and that isn’t me. I appreciate all you have done for me, and I look forward to seeing you tonight.”
Zhirinovsky turned to glare at General Lebed, who looked nervous as he watched the Vice President walk out of the room. I couldn’t stand for the charade any longer. I jumped up and ran out after him.
“What the hell was that?” I said as I grabbed his arm in the hallway, “you want to make an enemy of Zhirinovsky, fine. You want to make an enemy of the reformist as well, fine. But you seriously want to piss off the military on top of that? Are you nuts! Everything you have is based on an agreement by the government that you run the state media. What makes you think that we can’t take that away from you?”
“Mr. Prime Minister,” he said coldly, “it actually isn’t up to you anymore. I don’t know if you noticed, but the VGTRK is now a privately held cooperation. You would need to get the board of directors to fire me.”
“And what makes you think that we don’t have enough influence to do just that?”
“You honestly have no idea who is on my board of directors, do you?” Zavidiya said with a chuckle, “my God, you really are clueless.”
I stood there, unwilling to admit that he did have me puzzled. Who could it be? Was it someone in the cabinet double dealing with Zavidiya? Was it a General from the 16-man Committee? How did I not know who was now running the largest media cooperation in the UIS? I heard the elevator door open and, in the corner of my eye could see a woman standing inside.
“Gennady,” the woman from the elevator said, “are you joining us for lunch?”
I felt the blood rush out of my face as I turned towards the elevator. This couldn’t be! He couldn’t have!
“You should join us,” Zavidiya said, clearly holding back laughter “your good friend Victor Ivanenko will also be there for lunch. I am sure he would love to tell you all about Yukos and his various business ventures, including a partnership with the Galand Conglomerate.”
I said nothing as I stared at the elevator, still stunned by what I saw. Zavidiya chuckled as he walked towards the elevator, before stopping one last time and turning around to face me again.
“You know, in the sport of boxing there was a time, back in the 1920s, when the judges were considered so corrupt that their decisions were actually ignored,” he said as he glared at me, “do you know who picked the winner of the fight back in the 1920s?”
I said nothing.
“The journalists.” He said with a laugh. “Hope you get a chance to watch Vesti tonight. It will be a hell of a show.”
With that I watched as the now former Vice President stepped into the elevator with Yelena Baturina, wife of UIS President Yuri Luzhkov.
Transcript from Vesti News, September 15, 1995
Guest: President Vladimir Zhirinovsky and Yevgenia Tishkovskaya
Moderator: So Mr. President, will you apologize to Ms. Tishkovskaya here and now?
Moderator: So Mr. President, will you apologize to Ms. Tishkovskaya here and now?
Zhirinovsky: Absolutely not!
Moderator: Don’t you worry about the impact this decision will have next year when you run for reelection?
Zhirinovsky: No. I know that the people will come out and support me. They will vote for me.
Moderator: But polls indicate your support with female voters has dropped 40-points since this incident.
Zhirinovsky: That doesn’t concern me; in the end it will win me more votes. Because real men want to vote for a President who is firm, a President who knows how to put a woman in her place. And the Russian man will tell his woman how to vote. And those women will listen to their man unless they are a lesbian like Ms. Tishkovskaya.
Tishkovskaya (angrily): This is ridiculous.
Zhirinovsky: Let me tell you the truth. Ms. Tishkovskaya dreams of being raped, but she is too ugly for any man to rape her, so she goes around screaming at me, making my life miserable.
Tishkovskaya (angrily): This is absurd! You are a pathetic little man!
(Tishkovskaya stands up and removes the microphone from her lapel)
Tishkovskaya: (inaudible)
Zhirinovsky: How dare you! How dare you speak to me that way!
Tishkovskaya: (mostly inaudible, but the word “sue” can be heard)
Zhirinovsky: Well I plan to sue you! You nearly broke my nose! You filthy whore!
Liberal Democratic Party of Russia Trounced in Russian Legislative Elections; pro-capitalist parties fall short of a majority
December 18, 1995
By Vincent J. Shanks,
Chicago Tribune.
MOSCOW — In a bitterly contested legislative election, the ruling Liberal Democratic Party of Russia lost nearly half of its seats, winning only 67 seats and finishing in a dismal fourth place. Many Russians were appalled at the obscene statements made by the Russian President, Vladimir Zhirinovsky, who also headed the LDP. However, Zhirinovsky’s Liberal Democratic Party may still wield some power as it appears that neither the free-market oriented reformist parties nor the reformed Communist Party are able to form a majority. The biggest winner was the formally unheralded Unity Party, founded by former KGB Director Vladimir Putin. Unity won 101 seats, but seems unwilling to form a coalition with either the reformist or the reformed Communist Party for fear of tarnishing its chances in the 1996 Presidential election.
The Worker’s Party (formally the Communist Party of Russia) won 100 seats, but has already angered many former Communists by indicating a desire to form a coalition government with the Liberal Democratic Party. Gennady Zyuganov, leader of the Worker’s Party, earned scorn from many Communists when he renounced the Communist Party’s attempt to seize power during the 1993 Constitutional Crisis, and called on his fellow Communists to “reject the coup.” Many Communists feel that Zyuganov is little more than a mouthpiece of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party. However, Zyuganov’s opposition to free market reforms has helped him repair his badly tarnished reputation.
The biggest loser, besides the Liberal Democratic Party, was the Party for a Free and Democratic Russia, which lost over one hundred seats as it dropped down to 69 seats. Many Russians opposed the coalition formed between the Party for a Free and Democratic Russia and the Liberal Democratic Party, as well as the PFDR’s support of the war in Chechnya (which PFDR head Mikhail Arutyunov called a “mistake”). Picking up the vast majority of those seats was the formally unheralded Democratic Choice of Russia, headed by Prime Minister Gennady Burbulis and economist Yegor Gaidar. The DCR captured 49 seats to finish a respectable fifth. The liberal Yabloko finished in sixth place with 41 seats while the radical right wing Bolshevik Party finished in distant seventh place with 8 seats. Six other parties split the remaining 15 seats.
Although the Liberal Democratic Party suffered badly in this election, there is little question that they remain a powerful force in the Duma.
“If Unity forms a coalition with the Worker’s Party and the LDP then they control the Duma,” commented Dan Edwards, a professor of Russian History at Northwestern, “but since it appears that Vladimir Putin doesn’t want to associate with the Worker’s Party or the LDP, everything is up in the air. The reformist parties have made it abundantly clear that under no circumstance will they form a coalition with the LDP, but without them they still only have about 160 seats, far short of the 225 needed to form a majority. I suspect that the Unity Party may try and form a coalition with the reformist block, but they share little ideology with each other, and many reformists feel that Putin is a lapdog of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko. We may have a situation where there is no majority at all, which not only would produce a dysfunctional Duma, but could strengthen Vladimir Zhirinovsky, who would no longer have the Duma to act as a check on his presidential power. It is strange, but he might just end up winning by losing.”
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You have certainly taken inspiration from the last few days.
I enjoyed it as usual.
Thank you Tongera!
I enjoy throwing current events in this TL whenever possible, I think it does give this TL a unique feel...