YAVLINSKY TO BE TEMPTED BY PREMIERSHIP?

Publication: Monitor Volume: 2 Issue: 42

Presidential adviser Georgi Satarov says he does not rule out the possibility that, if he is reelected, Yeltsin will invite Yabloko leader Grigori Yavlinsky to become prime minister. Meanwhile, YavlinskyÕs press spokeswoman has reiterated earlier assertions that Yavlinsky will not enter an electoral alliance with the Communists. Anatoly Chubais has been active in recent weeks in trying to bring about a rapprochement between Yavlinsky and Yegor Gaidar, leader of RussiaÕs Democratic Choice, and in particular in seeking to persuade both men to throw their support behind Yeltsin as the single candidate of the democratic and reform wings. Despite his own rough treatment at YeltsinÕs hands, Chubais appears convinced that Yeltsin alone stands a chance of overcoming the communist challenge. So far, only Gaidar has shown signs of revising his earlier opposition to a Yeltsin candidacy. (5)

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