IN VODKA VERITAS?

A poll by Moscow’s respected VTsIOM polling organization has revealed that the more a Russian drinks, the more likely he or she is to support Boris Yeltsin and his market reforms. A poll of 2,404 people showed that those who drink alcohol every day are more likely to back Yeltsin than those who do not, while teetotalers are more likely than heavy drinkers to be nostalgic for the Soviet era. The explanation seems to be that those who drink a lot find it easier to cope with economic change than those who face it stone cold sober. Overall, 60 percent of those polled said they were opposed the return of the Communist system. (Novaya gazeta, February 10; Financial Times, February 11; Interfax, Reuters, February 13)

Yeltsin Rejects Constitutional Reform.