| 31.12.99 PRESS RELEASE OF THE PRESS SERVICE OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION |
PRESS RELEASE OF THE PRESS SERVICE OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION
1999-12-31-004
Below is the full text of the address of President of the Russian Federation Boris N. Yeltsin:
My fellow Russians,
Only a little time remains until the "magic" date in our history. The year 2000 is arriving, a new century and a new millennium. We have all been contemplating this date with regard to ourselves, figuring out, first in childhood, and then when we were grown up how old we would be in the year 2000, how old our mother and our children would be. And it once seemed to be so remote, that unusual New Year. And now this day has come.
Dear friends, today I am addressing you for the last time with a New Year message. But that is not all. Today I am addressing you for the last time as the President of Russia. I have made a decision. I have brooded over it long and painfully. Today, on the last day of the outgoing century, I am resigning.
I have heard it said many times that Yeltsin would be holding on to power by all means, that he would never relinquish it to anyone. This is a lie. This is beside the point. I have always said that I would not diverge one step from the Constitution, that the elections to the Duma should take place at the time fixed by the Constitution. And that is the way it happened.
And likewise I wanted the presidential election to take place on time, in June 2000. It would have been very important for Russia. We are creating a vital precedent of civilized and voluntary transfer of power from one president of Russia to another, a newly-elected one.
And yet, I have decided otherwise. I am leaving. I am leaving ahead of time. I have realized that it is necessary for me to do so. Russia must enter the new millennium with new political leaders, with new faces, with new intelligent, strong, energetic people. And we, those who have been in power for many years -- we must leave.
Having seen with what hope and confidence people voted in the Duma election for a new generation of politicians, I have realized that I have accomplished the main work of my life. Russia will never again revert to its past. Russia will now move only forward. And I should not get in the way of the natural course of history.
To hold on to power for another six months when the country has a strong man who is worthy of becoming a president and on whom practically every Russian now pins his hopes for the future? Why should I get in his way? Why wait another six months? No. This is not me. This is not in my nature. Today, on this exceedingly important day for me I would like to speak a little more personally than usual.
I want to ask your forgiveness. I want to ask your forgiveness because many of our dreams have not come true, because some things that seemed simple to us have turned out to be tormentingly difficult. I ask your forgiveness for not living up to some of the hopes of the people who believed that we would be able in one fell swoop, in one leap, jump from the dreary, stagnant totalitarian past into a bright, affluent and civilized future. I myself believed in this. It seemed that we would overcome everything in one leap.
But it didn't work out -- in one leap. I have proved to be too naive in some things, in some cases problems have proved to be too complex. We were pushing our way forward through mistakes and setbacks. Many people in these complex times have experienced upheavals. But I want you to know -- I never said it, but today it is important for me to say it to you. The pain of each of you has echoed in me, in my heart, in my sleepless nights, in my agonizing over what should be done to make people's lives if only a little easier and better. I have never had a more important task.
I am leaving. I have done all I could. And not for reasons of health, but in view of the totality of the problems. Coming to replace me is a new generation, a generation of those who can do more and better. In accordance with the Constitution, before retiring I signed a decree transferring the duties of the President of Russia to the Chairman of the Government, Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin. For three months, in accordance with the Constitution, he will be the head of state. And in three months' time, also under the Constitution, the election of the President will take place.
I have always been confident of the extraordinary wisdom of the Russian people. So, I have no doubt about the choice you will make at the end of March 2000. As I bid you farewell I would like to say to each and every one of you, be happy. You deserve happiness. You deserve happiness and tranquility.
A Happy New Year! I congratulate you on the new century, my dear fellow Russians!
Kremlin, Moscow December 31, 1999
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