ZYUGANOV PROMISES COALITION GOVERNMENT.

Presidential candidate Gennady Zyuganov said today that if he is elected July 3, he will set up a coalition government of national trust. One-third of the posts would go to the Communist-nationalist bloc Zyuganov leads, one-third to the present government, and a further third to other factions represented in the Russian parliament such as Grigory Yavlinsky’s Yabloko party. Zyuganov said such a coalition would give priority to improving conditions for Russian farmers, boosting measures to fight crime, and reaching a solution in Chechnya. (Reuters, BBC World Service, June 24) The call was a clear admission of defeat by Zyuganov who, only a few short months ago, was leading the polls and talking confidently about forming a Communist-dominated government. But that was before Yeltsin emerged as the leader in the first round, brought strongman Aleksandr Lebed into his government, and sacked some of his least popular hard-line associates.

Security Council Reorganization.