
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: WEDNESDAY, May 5, 1993                   TAG: 9305050297
SECTION: EDITORIAL                    PAGE: A10   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

RUSSIA

DESPITE President Boris Yeltsin's strong vote of confidence April 25 from the Russian people, it won't be easy for him to retain legitimacy for his painful economic reforms and keep the momentum in his drive to break the parliament's resistance to political change.

In America, returns showing 58 percent of those casting ballots have confidence in you and 53 percent support your policies would be accounted a sweeping victory. But Russia's Constitutional Court had ruled that a majority of all 107 million registered voters is required to force new elections for the Congress of People's Deputies. Yeltsin got 41.4 percent.

Conservatives in the Russian Congress are ceding no ground, showing little understanding of representative government but mastery of spin control. This bears a striking resemblance to what used to be known as communist propaganda, in the Cold War days where these fellows are stuck in many ways.

Yeltsin won decisively with a 65.7 percent turnout of voters. Compare that to the 56 percent of eligible voters in the United States who cast ballots in the last presidential election. The record voter-turnout in this country is 63.1 percent. The novice democrats, nee communists, in the Congress of People's Deputies proclaim that they are not impressed, but the Western world is.

Impressed and relieved.

Yeltsin's foes in the Congress, elected in Soviet days, are mainly unreformed communists who favor a controlled economy, a slowdown of privatization and a nationalist, anti-Western foreign policy. Since the referendum, a more politically secure Yeltsin has defied hard-line Russian nationalists by criticizing Serbian aggression in the former Yugoslavia. Efforts by the United States and its allies to end this bloody conflict will be easier with Russia as an ally, or at least not an active adversary.

Domestically, Yeltsin's supporters are pushing for a new constitution that would replace the Congress with a smaller, bicameral legislature and would clearly delineate the powers belonging to executive, legislative and judicial branches. Can Yeltsin win a new, greater battle with the legislators?

The show of support for Yeltsin was all the more impressive in light of the hardships the Russian people have suffered since the collapse of communism. They apparently recognize that the change to a market economy and democratic political system will take time and will be difficult, and they are prepared to sacrifice. Their resolve is admirable, and vindicates President Clinton's vocal support for Yeltsin.

But the Russian people's resolve is not unshakable. Life in Russia must improve if Yeltsin is to hold on to enough popular support to force change over the formidable barrier presented by an obstructionist parliament. The referendum results give new weight to Clinton's request for an additional $1.8 billion aid package to help Yeltsin's Russia.

by CNB