Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, May 27, 1990 TAG: 9005270107
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: The Washington Post
DATELINE: MOSCOW LENGTH: Medium
Yeltsin, who has become an outspoken critic of President Mikhail Gorbachev since he was dropped from the Soviet leadership two years ago, received 503 votes in the second round of balloting, leaving him 28 votes short of the required majority of the 1,060 Russian deputies.
"If the Parliament cannot decide, the decision must be made by the people," Yeltsin told deputies and journalists in the Kremlin after Saturday's vote. "Let the people say that in a month there should be an election for chairman or president of Russia."
His setback is likely to be a relief to Gorbachev, who had openly backed Alexander Vlasov, a senior Communist party official, who withdrew Friday when it became clear he could not win.
The stalemate in the republic's congress, a product of public debate once unheard of in the Soviet Union, reflects the increasing difficulty the Communist leadership has in imposing its will.
The presidency of the Russian republic, which is larger than all the other 14 Soviet republics put together, would provide an invaluable power base for any ambitious politician. Yeltsin campaigned on a platform of political and economic autonomy for Russia. Gorbachev accused him of working toward "the breakup of the Soviet Union."
Yeltsin's official opponent in the two rounds of balloting was a Communist Party hard-liner, Ivan Polozkov. Most deputies expect Polozkov will withdraw in the new nominations, which the congress must now take. Another round of voting has been scheduled for Monday.
After Saturday's inconclusive ballot in the Kremlin, Yeltsin's supporters predicted that the failure to elect their champion could exacerbate social tensions around the country.
by CNB