DATE FIRM FOR PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS?

On November 15, the Federation Council set the date of Sunday, June 16, 1996 for Russia’s next presidential elections. The date was set in an attempt to refute persistent rumors that President Yeltsin will try to cancel the presidential elections because he–and members of his entourage whose jobs depend on him–fear he will not win. Yeltsin’s powers will expire on June 12, 1996. Setting the date is unlikely to put a stop to the rumors, however. In an election speech November 15, Yuri Skokov, who leads of the Congress of Russian Communities, (KRO) which is expected to score well in next month’s parliamentary elections, predicted that Yeltsin will cancel the presidential elections if the living standards of the general population have not improved by next summer. He claimed that prosperity will depend on whether or not a referendum being proposed by the KRO to monitor the government’s success on raising living standards goes ahead. (4)

Chechnya Roundup.