WHOOPS!

With evident embarrassment, the Ministry of Justice and Central Electoral Commission revise their list of candidates for the Duma who have criminal pasts. The list which was distributed to the media on Tuesday contained 87 names. On Wednesday that was reduced to 79 individuals, after it came to light that election officials had not provided Justice with enough information to insure accuracy. As a result, Justice had wrongfully implicated some namesakes. In addition, commission chairman Nikolai Ryabov extended a public apology to others who had been erroneously included among the miscreants. In the latter category were former Soviet dissidents, Gleb Yakunin and Sergei Kovalev, and some of the participants in the events of August 1991 and October 1993. Officials also had to retract an earlier statement that people under criminal investigation cannot be candidates for election. The restriction applies only to people who are currently serving a sentence. (4)

"Gorky Park" Writ Large.