…OR BE REPLACED BEFORE YELTSIN STEPS DOWN?

Igor Bunin, a leading Russian political scientist and consultant, wrote this week that holding parliamentary and presidential elections simultaneously would be an “act of desperation,” given that, in his view, Vladimir Putin will in any case be unable to win over more than 10 percent of the electorate because of his association in the public mind with the “family” (Versty, September 7). Bunin’s view sheds light on another opinion–that Yeltsin will step down, but not before replacing Putin with a more charismatic figure less connected to the “family.” One name frequently mentioned is that of Krasnoyarsk Governor Aleksandr Lebed, whose gubernatorial campaign was reportedly financed by Boris Berezovsky, the influential Kremlin insider and tycoon. Berezovsky–who has said several times that he would like to see Lebed as president–is also said to mistrust Putin, who was brought into Kremlin politics by Anatoly Chubais, a long-time Berezovsky rival.

CHECHNYA CLOSE TO WAR WITH MOSCOW.