Party Expels Foe of Gorbachev for Buying Mercedes
A former Politburo member and political enemy of President Mikhail S. Gorbachev was expelled from the Communist Party for using his influence to buy a Mercedes, Tass reported today.
The harsh action against die-hard conservative Yuri F. Solovyov came three days before a critical meeting of the party Central Committee.
The expulsion was another humiliation for Solovyov, the former Leningrad party chief who was defeated during the spring in the vote for Parliament despite having no opposition. More than 50% of the voters crossed his lone name off the ballot.
Solovyov was expelled at an emergency meeting of the Leningrad party committee Thursday, the day after the sensational Leningrad TV program “600 Seconds” broadcast a report showing his name on an auto registration list. Journalist Alexander Nevzorov told viewers it had become easy to buy a Mercedes-Benz 280-S for 9,780 rubles.
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