LDPR faction leaves Duma conference hall in protest, following Zhirinovsky's lead
MOSCOW. March 15 (Interfax) - All members of the Russian Liberal Democratic Party (LDPR) parliamentary faction left the State Duma conference hall on Wednesday after Deputy Chairman Sergei Neverov had urged the house ethics commission to look into remarks made by LDPR leader Vladimir Zhirinovsky during the Hour of Statements.
Zhirinovsky led his faction out of the conference hall in protest. Prior to that, he had threatened the parliamentary majority deputies, accusing United Russia party faction members that half of them had no right to be in that conference hall.
Duma Chairman Vyacheslav Volodin compared his behavior to road rage.
Duma Deputy Chairman and United Russia General Council Secretary Sergei Neverov urged the ethics commission to pay attention to Zhirinovsky's remark regarding United Russia deputies.
"Any political speech can be emotional but it should not be insulting, let alone rude. The voters have decided who will represent them in the State Duma, and I would like to urge the ladies and gentlemen, as well as certain lawyers, to show respect for our constitution and the presumption of innocence principle. Only a court can say who is guilty, and yet we have heard from the State Duma's rostrum about executions of someone sitting in this hall," Neverov said at a Duma meeting on Wednesday.
"I believe that the ethics commission should be more attentive to what Vladimir Volfovich [Zhirinovsky] has said," Neverov said.
Zhirinovsky had emotionally expressed his discontent with certain deputies' support for the authorities of the Moscow region in his speech at the Duma. He promised to shoot his opponents if he wins the presidential elections in 2018.
LDPR sources told Interfax that Zhirinovsky's emotional outburst had been triggered by Duma deputy Oksana Pushkina's remarks.
Zhirinovsky himself later confirmed this to the press at the Duma.
"We bring legal actions, but even when our claims are upheld, votes are not recounted and the election outcome is not cancelled. Violations have been made but we are not allowed even to speak up. [Oksana] Pushkina is sitting here [...] And she will prohibit us from speaking," he said.
Moscow Region Governor Andrei "Vorobyov has been trying to put things in order but to no avail: the Moscow region remains one of the dirty and criminal ones," he said.
"A whole party has been thrown away and intimidated, and even the party leader has no right to speak up, he is told to keep silent. They won't silence us, we have always talked and will continue to do so," Zhirinovsky said.
