YELTSIN ANNOUNCES CANDIDACY.

Russian president Boris Yeltsin announced today in the Urals city of Yekaterinburg that he has decided to run for re-election in June. The news came as little surprise. Although the president is dogged by persistent health problems, all his recent actions have suggested that he was preparing to run. However, Yeltsin faces an uphill struggle: opinion polls indicate that popular approval for his leadership has sunk to an all-time low of 6 percent, and the conduct of the war in Chechnya has caused many of his former supporters to abandon him. Earlier this week, Yegor Gaidar, leader of Russia’s Democratic Choice, publicly appealed to Yeltsin not to seek re-election, saying his candidacy would be the biggest gift the Communist opposition could hope for.

Communist Party to Pick Presidential Candidate.