Steve
Stephen Philion Lecturer/PhD Candidate Department of Sociology 2424 Maile Way Social Sciences Bldg. # 247 Honolulu, HI 96822
On Fri, 31 Dec 1999, Doug Henwood wrote:
> [from Johnson's Russia List]
>
> FULL TEXT-Yeltsin's resignation statement
>
> MOSCOW, Dec 31 (Reuters) - Following is the full text of Boris Yeltsin's
> televised statement announcing his resignation as Russian president on
> Friday, translated by the British Broadcasting Corporation and Reuters (Eds:
> about 750 words):
>
> Dear friends, my dear ones, today I am wishing you New Year greetings for the
> last time. But that is not all. Today I am addressing you for the last time
> as Russian president. I have made a decision. I have contemplated this long
> and hard. Today, on the last day of the outgoing century, I am retiring.
>
> Many times I have heard it said: Yeltsin will try to hold on to power by any
> means, he won't hand it over to anyone. That is all lies. That is not the
> case. I have always said that I would not take a single step away from the
> constitution, that the Duma elections should take place within the
> constitutional timescale. This has happened. And likewise, I would have liked
> the presidential elections to have taken place on schedule in June 2000.
>
> That was very important for Russia - we were creating a vital precedent of a
> civilised, voluntary handover of power, power from one president of Russia to
> another, newly elected one. And yet, I have taken a different decision. I
> pauses am standing down. I am standing down earlier than scheduled. I have
> realized that I have to do this.
>
> Russia must enter the new millennium with new politicians, new faces, new
> intelligent, strong and energetic people. As for those of us who have been in
> power for many years, we must go.
>
> Seeing with what hope and belief people voted during the Duma elections for a
> new generation of politicians, I understood that I had done the main job of
> my life. Russia will never return to the past. Russia will now always be
> moving forward. I must not stand in its way, in the way of the natural
> progress of history.
>
> Why hold on to power for another six months, when the country has a strong
> person, fit to be president, with whom practically all Russians link their
> hopes for the future today? Why should I stand in his way? Why wait for
> another six months? No, this is not me, this is not in my character.
>
> Today, on this incredibly important day for me, I want to say more personal
> words than I usually do. I want to ask you for forgiveness, because many of
> our hopes have not come true, because what we thought would be easy turned
> out to be painfully difficult. I ask to forgive me for not fulfilling some
> hopes of those people who believed that we would be able to jump from the
> grey, stagnating, totalitarian past into a bright, rich and civilised future
> in one go.
>
> I myself believed in this. But it could not be done in one fell swoop. In
> some respects I was too naive. Some of the problems were too complex. We
> struggled on through mistakes and failures. At this complex time many people
> experienced upheavals in their lives. But I want you to know that I never
> said this would be easy. Today it is important for me to tell you the
> following. I also experienced the pain which each of you experienced.
>
> I experienced it in my heart, with sleepless nights, agonising over what
> needed to be done to ensure that people lived more easily and better, if only
> a little. I did not have any objective more important than that.
>
> I am leaving. I have done everything I could. I am not leaving because of my
> health, but because of all the problems taken together. A new generation is
> taking my place, the generation of those who can do more and do it better.
>
> In accordance with the constitution, as I go into retirement, I have signed a
> decree entrusting the duties of the president of Russia to Prime Minister
> Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin.
>
> For the next three months, again in accordance with the constitution, he will
> be head of state. Presidential elections will be held in three months' time.
> I have always had confidence in the amazing wisdom of Russian citizens.
> Therefore, I have no doubt what choice you will make at the end of March
> 2000.
>
> In saying farewell, I wish to say to each of you the following. Be happy. You
> deserve happiness. You deserve happiness and peace. Happy new year, happy new
> century, my dear people.
>