Republic Presidency Next Step if Yeltsin Wins Parliament Seat
Maverick Soviet politician Boris N. Yeltsin has pledged to run for the presidency of the Russian Federation, the biggest of the 15 Soviet republics, if he wins a place in its Parliament, the official Tass press agency said today.
Yeltsin, campaigning at a factory in the Urals city of Sverdlovsk, spelled out his hopes for the economic, political and spiritual rebirth of the Russian Federation, the agency reported.
“If elected, Yeltsin vows to compete for the post of president of the federation’s Supreme Soviet (Parliament),” Tass said.
The federation presidency is held by Vitaly Vorotnikov, a full member of the party’s ruling Politburo.
Yeltsin, a candidate from the Sverdlovsk region, is running against 13 rivals for a seat in the Parliament from his former political base.
His populist appeal has made him a favorite of many working people burdened by a declining standard of living and an oppressive bureaucracy.
However, a series of small scandals, including a withdrawn claim of an attempt on his life, have tarnished his public image.
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