Vlasov ran as an independent candidate in the 1996 Russian presidential election. During his presidential campaign, Vlasov promoted himself as patriot fighting both communism and an alleged "Zionist conspiracy" against the Russian people. He dubbed his politics as "people's patriotism". He also likened his politics to Gaullism. He claimed that his politics were a more effective unifying force than communist or democratic ideals. His campaign platform proclaimed, "There is only one single force that is able to unite almost all and at the same time become the ideological basis of the Russian state – popular patriotism".