'Opposition' to benefit from Putin's new role as party leader - Zhirinovskiy
RIA-Novosti
Moscow, 15 April: LDPR (Liberal Democratic Party of Russia) leader and Duma deputy speaker Vladimir Zhirinovskiy has described as a plus for the opposition the appointment of Vladimir Putin as chairman of the One Russia party, the largest in the country.
"For the opposition the appointment of Putin as One Russia chairman is a plus because One Russia members will be making fewer mistakes and Putin will not allow pressure to be exerted (by One Russia) on the opposition," Zhirinovskiy told journalists as he commented on the decision by the 9th congress of One Russia to elect Putin as party chairman.
"With Putin's arrival, there will be more order both within the party itself and in One Russia's relations with other parties," the LDPR leader said.
However, in his opinion, the fact that both Putin and Russian President-elect Dmitriy Medvedev have refused to join the party is a negative development.
"One Russia should draw conclusions as to why," Zhirinovskiy said.
He hopes that the ruling party will rely on the same "sections" (of the public) and will not interfere with the Liberal Democrats. "We are more to the right, we are in opposition," Zhirinovskiy said.
He also believes that, contrary to many people's predictions, there will be no one- or two-party regime in Russia. "But the final results will become apparent in 10 years' time," Zhirinovskiy said. (Passage omitted).