Over 2,000 people gathered in Moscow on Sunday for a jubilee congress of Russia's Liberal Democratic Party (LDPR), which was celebrating the 20th anniversary of its creation.
"Today's 22nd congress is devoted to the party's main event - the 20th anniversary of the LDPR. Over 150 delegates from the party's 78 regional branches have come here today. Overall, there are more than 2,000 of our supporters in the hall," LDPR leader Vladimir Zhirinovsky said in his opening speech at the congress.
The LDPR was founded in 1989 shortly before the break-up of the Soviet Union. The party advocates the ideology of liberalism and patriotism as the main driving force to maintain and develop Russian statehood. Zhirinovsky has been the party's leader since its inception.
At the latest elections to the State Duma, the lower house of Russia's parliament, which were held on December 2, 2007, the LDPR gained 8.1% of the electors' votes.
The party has branches all over Russia and says it has more than 177,000 members.
MOSCOW, December 13 (RIA Novosti)
