SOCHI, October 19. /TASS/. High-profile Russian lawmaker and leader of the Liberal Democratic Party, Vladimir Zhirinovsky, has called Ksenia Sobchak, who announced her presidential bid, a fake candidate who lacks the necessary experience.
"A candidate for president should be a person who has been in politics for many years," Zhirinovsky, who is known for his fiery rhetoric, told the World Festival of Youth and Students in Sochi.
"This person has not traveled across the country, (she) does not know anything and has not managed anything, and lacks the required knowledge. This is simply alarming. First, no one will (elect) her. This is a fake and dummy candidate," Zhirinovsky emphasized.
A presidential candidate should have great experience both in politics and in life, the politician stressed. "Of course, anyone can be a candidate, but they should have a whole epoch behind them. What is my advantage? I lived for 20 years in the Soviet republics (the Soviet Union). What is her achievement? St. Petersburg and Moscow," he said.
On Wednesday, Ksenia Sobchak, 35, Russian socialite and TV host, decided to throw her hat into the ring for the 2018 Russian presidential race. She is the daughter of late Anatoly Sobchak, the first democratically elected mayor of St. Petersburg, who was once a political mentor to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Sobchak said her candidacy should be considered as an "against all" option, inviting all political forces to pick a bone with the current Russian authorities.