DATE=1/6/2000
TYPE=WORLD OPINION ROUNDUP
TITLE=BORIS YELTSIN RESIGNS - PUTIN TAKES OVER
NUMBER=6-11621
BYLINE=ANDREW GUTHRIE
DATELINE=WASHINGTON
EDITOR=ASSIGNMENTS
TELEPHONE=619-3335
CONTENT=
INTRO: The biggest foreign affairs news of the past
week was Boris 's unexpected resignation on New Year's
Eve as President of Russia.
Around the globe, daily newspapers squeezed in the
story on front pages filled with year's end
festivities, as people ushered in the new century, and
for some, the new millennium. Now, editorial writers
in dozens of nations are busy analyzing Mr. 's move,
and assessing the future for Russia under its new
acting president, Vladimir Putin.
We get a summary now from _____________ in this week's
World Opinion Roundup.
INTRO: Most newspapers considered Mr. 's surprise
announcement a political masterstroke - which ensured
that his popular, hand-picked successor would have the
advantage of incumbency in the lead-up to the March
presidential elections, and that he himself would be
exempt from future prosecution.
In considering Mr. 's tenure, however, there was a
split between newspapers that saluted his "historic
achievement in "dethroning communism" in what was the
Soviet Union, while others held him accountable for
the "chronic economic crisis, widespread criminality,"
and the "escalation of the nationalist and xenophobic
mood in Russia" as exemplified by the Chechen war.
We begin in Moscow, where Izvestiya ran this front
page commentary:
VOICE: Owing to the unique character . of Russia's
first president, the system, clumsy and unbalanced as
it was, worked without serious failures. No matter
how much he wanted to gag the press, he never
attempted to impose censorship. Governments changed
often, but that was in keeping with the Constitution.
He made many enemies, but he never persecuted people
for political reasons, even when betrayed. ... He
will be remembered as the architect of a democratic
system in a country that, basically, is unfamiliar
with democracy.
TEXT: Turning Russia's Segodnya, we read:
VOICE: No matter what people say about [Mr.] , his
last moves show that he makes his own decisions. He
quit when he wanted, making sure that his candidate
will win the presidential election, his resignation
ruining the others' chances. We don't know what kind
of president [Mr.] 's "heir" will be, but we certainly
won't have a communist party candidate for president.
That, basically, is [Mr.] 's political legacy.
TEXT: Across town, in Moskovskii Komsomolets, a
youth-oriented daily, there was this:
VOICE: Doubtless, that Boris has given up power on
his own is a courageous move. But his New Year's Eve
surprise has its dark side, too. It has virtually
deprived [Mr.] Putin's potential rivals of a chance to
prepare normally for the election ... As in Soviet
times, they now face an election without a choice.
That doesn't look like the triumph of democracy.
TEXT: Moving to Western Europe, we check in London,
where Britain's Financial Times wonders about Mr. 's
successor:
VOICE: Will he merely reveal himself to be the front
man for Russia's oligarchs, as some commentators have
suggested? Or will he prove to be the dynamic,
reforming president that Russia needs, capable of
charting a third way between communist
authoritarianism and lawless capitalism? There remain
many doubts about Mr. Putin's intentions ...
TEXT: And a warm salute from The Times of London to
the outgoing leader.
VOICE: "Happy New Century, my dears." Boris 's last
words to the Russian people as president capture ...
the vast distance that Russia has galloped since this
mercurial, charismatic giant, in the first of many
comebacks, roared out of political oblivion in 1990 to
become the first popularly elected leader in Russia's
history. The journey from communist empire to
pluralist national democracy has been rock-strewn.
The years have brought undreamt-of freedoms and
opportunities; but also huge uncertainties, misery for
many and barely mastered turbulence.
TEXT: We cross the channel to France, and get this
outlook from the Paris daily, Le Figaro:
VOICE: Vladimir Putin looks like a two-faced man.
According to him, the war in Chechnya would be a
rebuilding action ... He says Moscow is defending its
national integrity against separatists ... [At the
same time], he does not want to break with the West or
the trade rules. On the contrary, [Mr.] Putin
presents himself as a supporter of reforms, determined
to keep the direction [Mr.] held for the past ten
years.
TEXT: For German reaction, its off first to Bavaria,
where Munich's Sueddeutsche Zeitung suggests:
VOICE: With [Mr.] Putin, [President] chose a
successor who must prove to be a Hercules if he wants
to resolve all (Russian) problems. He seems to have
the necessary toughness. The future will tell whether
he has the democratic steadfastness: Doubts are
allowed.
TEXT: In the financial capital, the Frankfurter
Allgemeine Zeitung sees the economic reasoning behind
the change:
VOICE: Vladimir Putin presented himself to his
compatriots as Russia's new strong man. With this
view, he got the support of many Russians since
[President] 's lingering illness increasingly stood
for economic stagnation and social backwardness. A
change of generation at the leadership indeed seemed
to be overdue.
TEXT: For a Northern Italian viewpoint, we quote Il
Sole-24 Ore in Milan as suggesting:
VOICE: [Mr.] 's government is over, but not "ism."
This is not the end of the family and its moguls ...
TEXT: In the South of what used to be the Soviet
Union, from Baku, Azerbaijan, we read in Zerkalo,
where concern for fighting in the nearby Caucasus is
high:
VOICE: The events in Chechnya can still be used as a
pre-election trampoline, and [Mr.] Putin is trying to
gain points. His trip to Chechnya ... was not only
the beginning of the pre-election campaign, but also
showed the mood, aims and methods of the new Russian
leader.
TEXT: Quickly to Asia, and for Japanese reaction, we
check in with Tokyo's Asahi, which notes:
VOICE: It was typical of [President] to stun his
country and the rest of the world by abruptly
announcing his resignation ... The fulfillment of his
commitment to a "civilized transfer of powers" will
serve as a good precedent for creating a law-abiding
nation in Russia ... It is not certain immediately
how [Mr.] 's achievements will be evaluated
historically.
TEXT: In the subcontinent, the Times of India from New
Delhi offers this view:
VOICE: It is obvious that [Mr.] 's action is a
calculated move to ensure that he will be succeeded in
office by his hand-picked choice ... [Mr.] 's place
in history will be subject to dispute among future
chroniclers.
TEXT: In Africa, we read in the Zambia Daily Mail
from Lusaka:
VOICE: The resignation of the former Russian
strongman is a positive development, and one which
sets a good precedent for that country ... Given the
background of the former communist countries, where
leaders never contemplated relinquishing power, but
were only nudged out of office by death, [President]
's decision to stand down has great political
significance for the country's future.
TEXT: And lastly in Latin America, from Buenos Aires,
Pagina 12's foreign affairs analyst sees things this
way:
VOICE: [Mr.] was a fervent enemy of communists. But
not from the ideological point of view ... [Mr.]
does not believe in democracy. From democracy, he
learned that each vote has a price and that it is more
advisable to resort to fraud.
TEXT: On that note, we conclude this sampling of
global press reaction to the sudden resignation of
Russian President Boris .
NEB/ANG/JP
06-Jan-2000 17:23 PM EDT (06-Jan-2000 2223 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
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