Anti-Semitic Russian legislator announces political aspirations

MOSCOW, Feb. 17 (JTA) — A Communist lawmaker who gained notoriety for a series of anti-Semitic comments has announced he will run for governor of one of Russia’s largest regions and then make a bid for the nation’s presidency. Albert Makashov told a Moscow newspaper he will seek the governorship of central Siberia’s Novosibirsk region in elections slated for December. If successful, he will be well placed for a run in the nation’s presidential election next year, Makashov told the paper. In order to insure success in the race for the leadership of the Kremlin, the retired army general added that he may also run for governor in five other Russian regions. Leaders of several leading ultranationalist groups last year urged Makashov to run for the presidency. Last fall, Makashov said, among other things, that “it is time to expel all yids from Russia.” The Communist Party, the largest bloc in Parliament, subsequently blocked a motion in the body’s lower house to censure Makashov for his anti-Semitic comments.