According to Vladimir Zhirinovsky, Russia_s next president will be called Vladimir.

His initials will be either VP or VZh. At an election rally in Kazan he delivered a remarkable speech, confirming that the maverick politician has not lost his oratory fervor. For starters Vladimir Zhirinovsky promised us a new political regime which he dubbed a “military and police dictatorship”. Its advent is absolutely inevitable, since “the time of communists and democrats in this country is over for good”. According to Zhirinovsky, the election race has come down to just two candidates; himself and Vladimir Putin. It turns out that it is what the people want: “If the people vote for it, I will do whatever the people want”. According to Mr Zhirinovsky, the people “do not necessarily want something gory”, but they want a bit of blood. VZh paints it thick in his inimitable genre: “If it_s necessary to spill blood, I will spill it, and if you are scared, don_t vote.” It is as if VZh is walking on a razor blade when he starts talking about the KGB: “There will be KGB departments and informers everywhere. I will shed rivers of blood. 10 or 15 million will perish, but the remaining 135 will live a normal life”. Well, if it is 15 million, that would leave 131, not 135. The army under VZh will number “at least 3 million”, twice the present number. Another million for the KGB and another million for the police, that makes a total of 5 million. Local authorities will also be called to arms. No elections or re-elections: “Only the president would be elected and his term extended to 8 years. Two times 8, 16 years, is a good period to fulfill a program. If all goes well, a further step is to address the people, and the people will extend his powers. All autonomous republics must be abolished and 15 governorships formed, each with a population of 10 million. Governors were not elected under the tsar, and we needn_t do it now. No federation, no confederation, but a unitary system of government”.