DATE=5/16/99 TYPE=BACKGROUND REPORT NUMBER=5-43417 TITLE=RUSSIA / POLITICS BYLINE=EVE CONANT DATELINE=MOSCOW CONTENT= VOICED AT: INTRO: RUSSIAN PRESIDENT BORIS YELTSIN HAS SURVIVED AN IMPEACHMENT ATTEMPT, BUT -- AS V-O-A'S EVE CONANT REPORTS FROM MOSCOW -- MORE CHALLENGES LIE AHEAD IN RUSSIA'S POLITICAL SCENE. TEXT: PRESIDENT YELTSIN HAS PROVEN ONCE AGAIN HE IS DIFFICULT MAN TO DEFEAT. DESPITE RECORD-LOW POPULARITY RATINGS AND A HISTORY OF SERIOUS HEALTH PROBLEMS, THE 68-YEAR-OLD RUSSIAN LEADER REMAINS A POLITICAL FORCE TO BE RECKONED WITH. BUT MANY RUSSIANS SAY THEY WORRY ABOUT THE FATE OF THEIR COUNTRY AS THE PRESIDENT AND PARLIAMENT OCCUPY THEMSELVES WITH POLITICS, NOT POLICY. RUSSIA'S ECONOMY CONTINUES TO FOUNDER AS THE POLITICAL DRAMA RAGES. THE LATEST IMPEACHMENT CRISIS MAY HAVE LED TO A HALT IN LOANS FROM SOME WESTERN LENDERS AND HAS CERTAINLY LED TO A LOSS OF AN ALREADY-MINIMAL INVESTOR CONFIDENCE. SOON AFTER THE RESULTS OF SATURDAY'S FAILED IMPEACHMENT VOTE WERE ANNOUNCED, A SEEMINGLY-UNFAZED PRESIDENT YELTSIN SUBMITTED TO LAWMAKERS HIS CONTROVERSIAL NEW CANDIDATE FOR PRIME MINISTER, SERGEI STEPASHIN. ANALYSTS SAY THE TIMING JUST FURTHER UNDERSCORED HOW FULLY PARLIAMENT HAD BEEN HUMILIATED BY THE VOTE. ACTING PRIME MINISTER STEPASHIN IS ALREADY MEETING WITH PARLIAMENT AND OTHER GOVERNMENT LEADERS TO DISCUSS HIS PLANS FOR FORMING A NEW CABINET. LAWMAKERS WILL CONSIDER HIS CANDIDACY NEXT WEDNESDAY. AFTER SATURDAY'S VOTE MR. STEPASHIN TOLD A TELEVISION INTERVIEWER THE PRESIDENT AND LAWMAKERS ARE NOW FREE TO GET BACK TO SERIOUS WORK. ///ACT STEPASHIN IN RUSSIAN AND FADE UNDER/// HE SAYS: THIS POTENTIAL POLITICAL CRISIS IS OVER, THANK GOD. BOTH THE PRESIDENT AND PARLIAMENT WILL HAVE MORE TIME TO DEVOTE TO CURRENT PROBLEMS. BUT FOR THOSE POLITICIANS OUTSIDE THE KREMLIN HIERARCHY, THE FAILED IMPEACHMENT VOTE SIMPLY EMPHASIZES A DANGEROUS IMBALANCE OF POWER. LEADING LIBERAL POLITICIAN GRIGORY YAVLINSKY CONDEMNS THE COMMUNISTS, BUT TOLD THEM DURING AN IMPEACHMENT DEBATE THAT HE SHARES ONE THING IN COMMON WITH THEM. ///ACT YAVLINSKY IN RUSSIAN AND FADE UNDER/// HE SAYS: AS FAR AS MR. YELTSIN IS CONCERNED WE ARE ALL TRASH. WE ARE SIMPLY BUILDING MATERIAL FOR HIS LIMITLESS POWER. IF EVEN ONE OF THE FIVE IMPEACHMENT CHARGES AGAINST THE RUSSIAN PRESIDENT HAD BEEN APPROVED, MR. YELTSIN WOULD HAVE TEMPORARILY LOST HIS STRONGEST POLITICAL WEAPON, THE RIGHT TO DISSOLVE PARLIAMENT. AIDES SAY, WHEN RESULTS OF THE FAILED VOTE CAME IN, PRESIDENT YELTSIN RESPONDED TO THE GOOD NEWS CALMLY. HE ALSO URGED LAWMAKERS TO CONTINUE ON WITH THEIR REGULAR DUTIES. ONE OF THOSE DUTIES IS THE UPCOMING VOTE TO CONFIRM OR REJECT THE CANDIDACY OF SERGEI STEPASHIN FOR PRIME MINISTER. IF THE OPPOSITION-LED PARLIAMENT DOES NOT APPROVE OF MR. YELTSIN'S CHOICE AFTER THREE VOTES, THEN THE RUSSIAN PRESIDENT CAN DISSOLVE PARLIAMENT. HE WOULD THEN HAVE THE RIGHT TO TEMPORARILY RULE BY DECREE AND APPOINT WHOMEVER HE WANTED, AS RUSSIA'S NEW PRIME MINISTER. (SIGNED) NEB/EC/DW 16-May-99 7:50 AM EDT (1150 UTC) NNNN Source: Voice of America .
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