Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, March 22, 1993 TAG: 9303220085
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: From the Los Angeles Times and The New York Times
DATELINE: MOSCOW LENGTH: Medium
YELTSIN'S POWER THREATENED
Moving swiftly toward a climactic struggle for the leadership of Russia, Communist and conservative lawmakers took the first step Sunday toward impeaching President Boris Yeltsin.Yeltsin appeared to be losing support even within his own branch of the government.
By a 125-16 vote, the Supreme Soviet asked the Constitutional Court to judge the legality of Yeltsin's announcement Saturday of temporary presidential rule by decree. The court's chairman, who personally branded the act dictatorial, announced that an inquiry was already under way.
If the court finds that Yeltsin violated the constitution, Russia's first democratically elected leader could be impeached by a two-thirds vote of the full parliament, the Congress of People's Deputies.
Yeltsin's legal adviser, Sergei Shakrai, has said that Yeltsin would refuse to step down in that case. But many believe Yeltsin would need the backing of his government, army and security forces to stay in office.
Having lost the support of his vice president and his national security adviser, Yeltsin won timid endorsements Sunday from his top Cabinet officials for his bold decision to bypass lawmakers and force a referendum on his reforms.
"The president has a right to speak and propose," Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin said. "The other question, whether this is unconstitutional or not, let the specialists clear this up."
Yeltsin's ministers of defense, interior and security gave no hint of their allegiances, heightening uncertainty.
Yeltsin dropped out of public view after his prerecorded announcement on television Saturday night. Commonwealth television reported that Klavdiya Yeltsin, his 85-year-old mother, died Sunday.
Ruslan Khasbulatov, speaker of the parliament, presided over a legislature elected under Soviet rules in 1990, when the ruling Communist Party put up most of the candidates.
"A direct threat of the return to the worst times of neo-totalitarianism is looming over the country," said Khasbulatov, who has emerged as Yeltsin's most powerful rival.
In his televised address, Yeltsin said he acted to prevent the legislature from leading Russia back to communism. He decreed an April 25 referendum for a vote of confidence in his leadership and for approval of a new constitution and new legislative elections.
Fearing a reimposition of imperial rule from Moscow by Yeltsin's rivals, leaders of many former Soviet republics voiced support for Yeltsin, including Ukrainian President Leonid Kravchuk and Georgian leader Eduard Shevardnadze.
Shevardnadze, a former Soviet foreign minister, said Yeltsin should have acted sooner. Now, he said, Russia is headed for civil war - "I can almost smell it."