No winners in Russia's quiet despair: Yeltsin and his rivals ponder the next move
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.AFTER ALL the thunderous threats and rowdy rallies of last week, President Boris Yeltsin and his rivals have declared an odd pause in their vicious brawl over who should run Russia.
Mr Yeltsin has been silent since Sunday, when he appeared before his supporters to declare victory after an attempt to impeach him fell 72 votes short. His rival, Ruslan Khasbulatov, the parliamentary chairman, has said nothing in public since Monday, when he too claimed victory. But neither has triumphed.
Three months after Mr Yeltsin staged the first of his angry walk-outs from the Great Kremlin Palace and demanded a national referendum to break the constitutional deadlock, it has been agreed that voters should have their say on 25 April.
As fixed by the Congress on Monday, the terms of the referendum make it all but impossible for the President to gain the mandate he needs to rescue himself and his free- market policies. To do this he needs the support of half of Russia's voters - not just those who vote. This means he must win more votes than he did at the peak of his popularity in 1991, when he secured 57 per cent of votes cast in a presidential poll but only 40 per cent of all possible votes.
Mr Yeltsin has two options, both of which promise more muddle. Sergei Shakhrai, the Deputy Prime Minister, has urged him to hold a parallel plebiscite on his own terms and ignore the referendum called by parliament. But Andranik Migranyan, of the advisory Presidential Council, recommended that he place his hopes in the Constitutional Court, which has been asked to examine the legality of the Congress referendum.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments