The LDPR was founded and continues to be led by controversial politician Vladimir Zhirinovsky. Since winning eight percent of the vote in the 1991 presidential elections, it has proved to be one of the major Russian parties in both State Duma and presidential elections.

Election record

In State Duma elections the LDPR has won 23 percent of the vote in 1993, 11 percent in 1995, 6 percent in 1999, 12 percent in 2003 and 8.8 percent in 2007.
The party has performed less well in presidential elections, securing 6 percent in 1996, 2.7 percent in 2000, 2 percent in 2004 and 9.35 percent in 2008. In the 2004 elections, Zhirinovsky’s deputy Oleg Malyshkin represented the party.         
The LDPR currently has 40 deputies in the State Duma. A full list can be found here.

Program

The LDPR describes itself as a liberal patriotic party. Its main proposals include:
- Transforming the Russian Federation from a federative into a unitarian model of state structure without any national republics and national areas as subjects of the state;
- Introducing a single national language - the language of the majority of the country's population majority, i.e. Russian.
- Reforming and consolidating Russia's judicial system
- Toughening the penalties for terrorism, premeditated murders and other crimes committed against a personality and a property and reintroducing capital punishment for especially dangerous criminals.
- Abolishing non-traditional and fanatical sects in Russia.

National security:
- Creating the most favorable international background for economic and political development of the state, for the growth of people's welfare, and for the national and spiritual revival of the Russian people.
- Ensuring the country's national security and international stability, preserving peace in the world.
- Recreating on a voluntary basis the Russian state within its original borders, and, primarily, to reunite with Belarus, Ukraine and some other republics of the former Soviet Union.
- Opposing American influence and NATO expansion in Eastern Europe.   

Economic program:
- Enhancing the functions of state control and management of economic processes.
- Providing state support for science-intensive technologies and agriculture.
- Fighting corruption.
- Restoring Russia's economic sovereignty.

Social policy:
- Supporting the social demands of workers and servicemen.
- Raising wages, pensions and allowances and guaranteeing that they are paid on time.
- Conducting state programs of employment, creating jobs in small business and in the service sector.
- Radically reforming the social welfare system.
- Forming a large middle class.

The LDPR is allied with parties and blocs in countries throughout the former Soviet Union including Armenia, Belarus and Ukraine. Its allies in Estonia support the rights of the Russian speaking minority.     

Controversy
The party has been at the center of much controversy, largely due to Zhirinovsky’s nationalistic rhetoric and penchant for fist-fighting. The party was also linked to an Iraqi oil scandal in 2004. The Iraqi daily Al-Mada, published a list of those alleged to have received oil vouchers under the UN Oil-for-Food Program. The paper claimed that the LDPR received 79.8 million barrels worth of oil vouchers under the controversial scheme, which has been accused of being a cover for wide-scale corruption.

Related links:

LDPR website

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