COMMUNISTS EYE 50 PERCENT OF DUMA COMMITTEE CHAIRS

. The Communist party faction will lay claim to the chairmanship of approximately half of the State Duma’s 23 committees, according to one of the party’s leaders and outgoing Duma’s vice-chairman, Gennady Seleznev. The Communists are discussing the issue this week with ROH and Yabloko, and will take it up next week with Vladimir Zhirinovsky’s Liberal-Democratic party. Seleznev refuted media reports that his group would support a possible bid by Zhirinovsky’s to chair the committee on international relations. Seleznev explained that the CP would not oppose an LDPR member who wants that chairmanship, committee, but "by no means should it go to Zhirinovsky, for he will cause us to fall out with the entire world." (2)

Lukashenko Accuses Trade Unions of Fanning Tension.