> Zuyganov is the Al Gore of Russia. Chris can, far
> more ably than I can, demonstrate how the 1996 election
> was quite literally bought by the oligarchs who were
> backing Yeltsin.
>
> Jim F.
-----
Yeltsin gaves the oligarchs vast amounts of state property in exchange for the use of their media empires for smearing the opposition (which is how they got to be oligarchs). Even so, everybody in Russia knows that Zyuganov won the first round of the elections, and the Kremlin just lied. Zyuganov didn't say a thing.
A bit from a Russian political debate show:
BBC Monitoring Russian MPs offer divided response to NATO expansion Source: RTR Russia TV, Moscow, in Russian 1010 gmt 14 Dec 02
The latest edition of Russia TV's "Parliamentary Hour" programme, broadcast on 14 December, focused on the likely impact of NATO expansion on Russia. The programme gave four senior MPs from the State Duma the opportunity to air their views on the prospects for Russia's relationship with NATO. Opinions ranged from supportive of cooperation, in the case of Konstantin Kosachev, deputy chairman of the Duma's international affairs committee from the Fatherland - All Russia faction; to openly hostile, of Gennadiy Zyuganov, leader of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation. Vladimir Lukin, deputy speaker of the Duma and member of the Yabloko faction, and Lyubov Sliska, first deputy speaker of the Duma and member of the pro-Putin Unity faction, were the other two members of the panel. The following is excerpted from the programme:
...
[Sliska] What I would like is for the Russian parliament always to express the interests of the state, and for those interests never to be criticized. Let us criticize them here, internally, but not there, publicly, as is done today - what is good and what is bad here.
Let me repeat my question to Gennadiy Andreyevich. He may choose not to answer it. Why did he refuse to become president in 1996? After all, back then you clearly won a victory. It was recognized. You, however, did not want to become president. That means that, in some way, you feared responsibility. There is documentary information to that effect. You, however, chose not to fight for that post to the end. You knew that you had won a victory then. A victory. But, Gennadiy Andreyevich -
[Zyuganov] That one is below the belt.
[Sliska] Gennadiy Andreyevich, that is not below the belt.
[Zyuganov] Six years ago, you kept silent. Why is it that you mention it only now?
[Sliska] Not so. I did not keep silent. I knew what the situation was. You, too, knew.
[Zyuganov] You kept silent.
[Sliska] But you chose then not to fight even for yourself. Now, however, you lambast the government, you lambast the president, although, forgive me, in a comparably short period of time no secretary-general of the CPSU Central Committee managed to achieve the degree of influence in the world that the current president and the current government have achieved.