Russian Presidential candidate Zhirinovsky calls for directly elected Prime Ministers and other government posts

As one of the leading candidates in Russia’s upcoming Presidential election (scheduled for March 2018), Valdimir Zhirinovsky of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR), has proposed amending how the post of Russian Prime Minister and other government deputies are constituted.

At present, the Prime Minister and his deputies are appointed by the directly elected Russian President.

However, Zhirinovsky has proposed a change in this, suggesting that the runner up in Presidential elections receive either the post of Prime Minister or Deputy Prime Minister.

Zhirinovsky explained his rational in the following statement released by the LDPR,

“Today, only Putin and I are real candidates, but there is no mechanism for the opposition to come to power in Russia. This is not new, but has been the system for 1155 years or so. Never has a Kremlin candidate come to power peacefully, and no head of state went quietly into retirement. In the 21st century, we need to move to the realisation that we do not have to fear that a new candidate or a new party can win in elections.

I would propose to all candidates for the presidency of Russia the following scheme:

The political party that nominated the candidate who took the second place, will receive the post of prime minister or, at least, the post of first deputy prime minister. The parties, whose candidates will take the next places,  with a tangible result, will be able to receive portfolios of individual ministers in the government.
Such a deal would allow us, at last, to move to a multiparty government and show people that they are not casting their votes in vain, and their voices can lead to concrete political changes. In addition, opposition parties would receive a serious impetus for development”.