Moskovskykomsomolets on August 16 said that sociologists now believethat the Russian authorities will be able to rig up to 35 percentof the ballots in the 1996 elections, enough to determine theoutcome in Boris Yeltsin's favor regardless of who runs againsthim. The paper added that today,... MORE

A survey conducted by the CIS Information Council's AnalyticCenter found that the oil and gas industry, from which he sprungand which is usually seen as his most important political base,is "far from unanimous" in supporting Russian premierViktor Chernomyrdin and his "Russia is Our Home" electoralbloc,... MORE

A pollconducted among 2500 Russians found that if Duma elections wereheld this Sunday, 24 percent were certain that they would nottake part, 14 percent doubted that they would, and 17 percentwere uncertain as to whether they would participate, Moscow radioreported August 16. Only 21 percent... MORE

Only one Russianin seven is interested in receiving more training on the marketeconomy and only 10 percent are interested in getting additionaltraining to improve their economic position, Moscow's Echo radioreported August 16. Almost 40 percent of Russian workers do notwant to do anything to change... MORE

Membersof the old party-state nomenklatura who unlike many of their colleaguesfailed to profit during the early stages of privatization nowwant to use the upcoming elections to regain power, Kurantyreported August 16. One fifth of the largest enterprises thatwere privatized in the past now belong to... MORE

The decision of the Russian finance ministry to reduce theproportion of funds that enterprises can retain for wages withoutbeing subject to tax from 30 percent to 5 percent will both increasetax collections but lead to a decrease in wages paid out, economistPavel Bunich told Vecherny... MORE

Obshchaya gazeta (no.33) suggests that experts at the agricultural ministry now believethat the grain harvest may amount to only 45-50 million tons,far lower than the 79 million tons they had predicted a monthago and well below the 81 million tons harvested last year andthe 99... MORE

In order to providethe government with more income, officials responsible for privatizationwill step up their efforts throughout the rest of the year, Ostankinotelevision reported August 16. They hope to realize some 9 trillionrubles from such sales, but one official told Russian televisionthat he thought they... MORE

Russia's atomic energy minister Viktor Mikhailov told Obshchayagazeta (no. 33) that he expected Russia to continue to earnever more money from the sale of nuclear technology abroad. Notingthat he had increased exports in this sector by 20 percent inthe past year, he said that Russia... MORE

Vladlen Sirotkin,chairman of the State Commission on Russian Property Abroad, toldRossiya (no. 30) that the Russian government would stepup its efforts to recover what he said was more than $130 billiondollars in Russian property abroad. According to Sirotkin, Russiashould get some 80 percent of the... MORE