MOSCOW CITY GOVERNMENT CLAIMS NEW POWERS

. The Moscow cityauthorities have approved a new charter which gives the Russiancapital substantially more powers relative to the central government,and for the first time allows voters to select their own mayorand district executives, Izvestiya reported July 4. Hithertothe central government made virtually all the decisions affectingthe city and appointed its executives, including the current mayor, Yuri Luzhkov. By staking out a position of greater independenceat the local level, Luzhkov is likely to become an even bigger player in central Russian politics.

Federation Council Rejects Duma-Passed Measures To ControlExecutive