MORE THAN HALF OF RUSSIAN VOTERS OPPOSE CHERNOMYRDINBLOC.

Even if the elections do take place, Chernomyrdin’s “Russia is OurHome” bloc may not do very well. According to a poll published in Obshchayagazeta (no. 21), only 10 percent of Russians say they would vote for the bloc, while 56 percent said they were opposed to it. The poll showed that 26 percent of the potential voters felt this Yeltsin-backed group would benefit either bureaucrats–26 percent–or enterprise heads–23 percent. Only 6 percent believed it would help ordinary workers.

Looking toward possible presidential elections, the pollsters foundthat 12 percent of Russians would back reformer Grigory Yavlinsky, 7 percent would support Russian nationalist Vladimir Zhirinovsky, and 4 percent would support Yeltsin. Significantly, Yeltsin’s negatives are now almost as high as those of Zhirinovsky: 35 percent of the potential voters said they would never support Zhirinovsky; 35 percent said the same thing about Yeltsin.

Yeltsin Says The Serbs Were Warned.