Widely unknown to most Russians at the start of the brief campaign period, Zhirinovsky ultimately managed a surprise third-place finish in the election.
[1][2] The following day, the party held its second congress and nominated Zhirinovsky to be its candidate in Russia's upcoming presidential election.
In the midst of his speech he switched from the Russian language to Turkey, in an effort to pander to Turkish-language deputies from Russia's Muslim republics.
[1][5][6] It was believed that part of reason why Zhirinovsky was able to garner enough endorsements was that the communists hoped he might be a spoiler, draining enough votes from Yeltsin to force a runoff.
[7] For his vice-presidential running mate, Zhirinovsky chose Andrey Zavidiya, who had helped to provide Zhirinvosky funding for his campaign.
[1] For example, on a day in June Zhirinovsky's itenerary saw him (the day after having flown to Chelyabinsk and been driven directly from the airport to a television studio) start his morning by meeting with deputies of the Chelyablinsk Duma, then meet with students at the Thermal Technology Institute, they have a lunch break while at a tractor factory before speaking to the workers.
Seemingly acknowledging expectations to lose against Yeltsin, and revealing intentions to run again Zhirinovsky replied, Go ahead and vote for him.
[11] Zhirinovsky's third-place finish positioned him as a serious political figure, particularly after Liberal Democratic Party's strong performance in the 1993 legislative election.
[3] However, Vorinin ultimately failed to become a registered candidate thus negating his potential impact on Zhirinovsky's performance.
[23] An ultranationalist candidate, Zhrinovsky played to the racial resentments which some ethnic Russians held against minorities.
[1] Zhirinovsky also received a strong portion of the votes from policemen, special riot troops, those in KGB and Interior Ministry schools, and pensioners.
[1] Sociologist Igor Yakovenko had observed that many in a number of these groups were particularly concerned about potential unemployment or being forced to leave their profession due to socioeconomic changes.
But they are supported everywhere by only those segments of society that have nothing to lose...Zhirinovsky's popularity will grow in proportion to how bad the political and economic situation will get.
"[1] By his own admission, Zhirinovsky benefited as a candidate from the negative economic prospects many Russians were facing, saying, “If there were a healthy economy and security for the people, I would lose all the votes I have.
[16] He promised to reform the system of government, remove all limitations on economic activities, phase-out conscription in Russia's military, be tough in regards to law enforcement.
"[14] Zhirinovsky also vowed that he would adopt measures within the limits of the law in order to stop "anti-communist hysteria and witch-hunting".
He argued that the conflict between the East and the West had ended and that it was time for Russia to shift their focus to relations between the North and the South.
[23] At a rally in Perm, Zhirinovsky promised not to remove the privileges provided to the military-industrial industry in the city due to the fact that the export of weapons was a strong source of revenue for the country.