In the man's world that is Russia, a woman's work is rarely in the corridors of power. But that may change now that the only female candidate in the last presidential election has written a guide on how to get ahead in the testosterone-fuelled world of Moscow's political elite.
Irina Khakamada, a former junior minister who polled 3.8% of the vote in March 2004, launched her memoir, Sex in Big Politics, yesterday. The book advises politically ambitious women on how to get on in politics. She said: "There are unwritten rules. You can't read them in the constitution, so I explain how it happens in real life. It's difficult, sophisticated advice, and very wise.
"I explain what kind of clothes are openly sexual and excite men," she said, adding that these "have to be thrown out ... But at the same time, I explain how to conserve your femininity".
In an extract in a tabloid paper yesterday, she recounted how the corridors of parliament smelled of alcohol by the evening, and recalled meeting President Vladimir Putin for the first time during a theatre interval. She said on approaching him she put one high-heeled foot far forward, and the other backwards, lowering her body so she could meet the diminutive president at eye level. "We had a nice chat," she wrote.
"Power in Russia is very Byzantine," she said, adding that your level of favour with the prime minister can be measured by how he greets you. "If it's according to Russian tradition [three kisses on alternate cheeks], you'll be in your job for at least the next six months."
© Guardian News &
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