Chernenko Seen on Soviet TV, After 2 Months

Soviet President Konstantin U. Chernenko, looking pale and weak, was presented to the public Sunday for the first time in two months when he appeared in a brief television report showing him voting in a regional election.

The 73-year-old Chernenko, who failed to make a major campaign speech on Friday because doctors advised against it, leaned on an aide at times during his one-minute appearance.

His voice seemed weak as he greeted election-day workers in a Moscow polling place, and he was not shown walking.

He first was shown seated at a desk, then standing in front of a ballot box while he was presented with flowers and posed for photographers.

Chernenko Waves

Chernenko managed to wave and said, “Fine,” as the Soviet cameramen finished their work.

Foreign correspondents, who have traditionally been invited to watch the Soviet leader cast his ballot, did not get a chance to see Chernenko on Sunday.

Instead, they were taken to another polling place, where Mikhail S. Gorbachev, who has been mentioned most often as Chernenko’s probable successor, cast his vote in a blaze of publicity.

Gorbachev, who will be 54 on Saturday, presented an image sharply contrasting with that of Chernenko. Gorbachev, the youngest member of the 11-man ruling Politburo, chatted casually with officials and joked with members of the foreign press corps.

The Kremlin heir-presumptive showed up with his wife, Raisa, their daughter, Galina, and a granddaughter in the style of a Western politician looking for the family vote.

Chernenko’s unexpected appearance on TV news shows came after Foreign Ministry officials said he was not planning to vote at the House of Architects where he usually casts his ballot.

The televised appearance dramatically rebuffed rumors that Chernenko was in serious condition and was not able to vote. But he appeared frail, indicating that he may not be able to run the country with a vigorous hand for some time.

At the polling place, Chernenko was given red carnations, which were accepted by an unidentified aide who was holding Chernenko by the right arm.

Chernenko, who suffers from a lung condition believed to be emphysema, last appeared on television news programs Dec. 27, when he presented awards to writers in a Kremlin ceremony.

There has been speculation about his health ever since he succeeded the late Yuri V. Andropov as general secretary of the Communist Party on Feb. 13, 1984. Andropov was not seen in public for nearly six months before he died of a kidney ailment.

Chernenko, who seems to fight for breath in every speech he makes, also dropped out of public view for seven weeks last summer. Kremlin officials said at the time that he was on a long vacation.

Politburo member Viktor V. Grishin, the Moscow party chief, appeared with Chernenko at the polling station. It was Grishin who announced on Friday that Chernenko was not able to deliver a pre-election speech to his constituents because his doctors advised him not to appear at the long-scheduled meeting.

In Moscow, voters were asked to cast ballots for party-endorsed candidates for the Supreme Soviet of the Russian Federation, the Moscow Soviet and a district body.

Since only one candidate runs for each vacancy, it is not too surprising that they all usually get more than 99% of the vote.

Moscow wore a festive air for the voting. Red flags flew from buildings and street lights, and patriotic music was broadcast by loudspeaker. Tass, the official news agency, said 75% of the electorate had voted by noon, with nearly 100% expected to participate.

Across the nation, deputies were elected to Supreme Soviets of the 15 republics. They serve as nominal Parliaments, invariably unanimously approving proposals advanced by the Communist Party leadership.

Gorbachev’s appearance, with press coverage arranged by the Foreign Ministry, was seen by Western diplomats as another sign of his No. 2 ranking in the ruling Politburo.

Gorbachev seemed in good humor. When a photographer asked him to repeat the act of casting a ballot, the Politburo member said that even he could vote only once. When someone asked how he felt, he replied, “Fine.”