CHERNOMYRDIN WARNS OF RIGHT WING THREAT.

In his openingspeech of the election campaign–Yeltsin on July 14 signed thedecree setting the elections for December 12–Prime Minister ViktorChernomyrdin told an audience in Irkutsk that his "Russiais Our Home" political bloc would do everything it couldto prevent a victory by right wing extremists in the parliamentaryvote, Russian radio reported July 15. Chernomyrdin said that "onemust not stand aside when the far right is thriving in the country." The Russian premier is on a swing through Siberia and the RussianFar East. Initial polls of the population indicate that the earlyleaders in the parliamentary elections are the YABLOKO factionand the Communists, but large numbers of people–up to 40 percentin Moscow–said they would not vote at all, Russian radio reportedJuly 15.