Gorbachev Vows to Speed Up Pace of Reform

Mikhail S. Gorbachev, elected as the Soviet Union’s first executive president, declared Thursday that he will use his broad new constitutional powers to accelerate political and economic reforms and to save his country from the ethnic unrest threatening it with dissolution.

“The need for a more radical perestroika is obvious, and I shall use my presidential powers first of all to achieve this,” Gorbachev told the Congress of People’s Deputies as he was sworn in after his uncontested election. Perestroika is the Russian term for his reforms.

“Let me stress that I shall use these powers to promote reforms and make decisive headway on a democratic basis,” he said.

Gorbachev then outlined in broad strokes new economic policies. These include the replacement of direct central planning by tax, credit and fiscal policies; a stock exchange; price reform; freedom for farmers to sell their produce on the open market, and other far-reaching measures.

“We need decisive steps and breakthroughs on radical economic reform,” he declared, “and it is the practical task of the president to implement our reforms.”

But he warned that the coming reforms, aimed first of all at transforming the Soviet economy from a state monopoly based on central planning to one where individual enterprises are motivated by the market forces of supply and demand, will bring more “painful problems” and cut across many vested interests.

The Soviet leader also spoke of more political reforms, including the strengthening of regional and local governments and the immediate negotiation of a new “treaty of union” that would become the basis of a new federal system here.

“The fate of perestroika will be largely determined by the way we reshape our federation,” Gorbachev said, referring to the growing demands for regional autonomy and even full independence by Lithuania and some other constituent republics that want to secede.

But he made clear his determination to hold the Soviet Union together.

“There are attempts to stir up trouble and even talk of civil war,” he said. “Let us use our experience against this. These are attempts to counter perestroika, and they are very dangerous.

“As president, I speak resolutely for the integrity of our country and also for strengthening measures to grant economic and political sovereignty to the union republics.”

Addressing an hourlong Kremlin news conference, his first with Soviet as well as foreign journalists on domestic issues, Gorbachev sought to allay fears that he is accumulating too much power. He argued that the progress of the reform effort depends on overcoming the continuing resistance to it through bold actions.

“The very logic of the process of perestroika has led to the adoption of these serious, radical changes in the top echelons of power and with the introduction of the executive presidency for the first time in the history of our country,” he said. “The process of democratization as well as the decentralization and rapid changes have created centrifugal forces. We felt a special mechanism was needed as a counterbalance to these.

“The situation in the country had also grown quite critical. We had managed to get out of one system--that based on administrative commands--but failed to achieve concrete results after that. Great efforts will be needed to improve the situation.”

Gorbachev, 59, who ran unopposed for the presidency, was elected by the 2,250-member Congress to a four-year term with 1,329 votes for him and 495 against. The rest abstained in apparent boycotts, mostly on ethnic issues; there were also some spoiled ballots. He needed 1,126 votes to secure the post, which was virtually tailored for him.

On Thursday, President Bush sent Gorbachev a congratulatory letter on his election and expressed support for perestroika , White House Press Secretary Marlin Fitzwater said.

Under constitutional amendments approved earlier this week, Gorbachev now has wide powers to propose legislation, veto bills passed by Congress, appoint key civilian and military officials, declare states of emergency and govern by decree.

In a separate ballot, Gorbachev’s deputy, Anatoly I. Lukyanov, was elected over seven other candidates as the chairman of the Congress of People’s Deputies, a position that now is akin to a parliamentary Speaker. Lukyanov would succeed Gorbachev as president if he died or were incapacitated.

Although Gorbachev’s election was never in doubt--the two other nominees both withdrew on Wednesday--his relatively small margin of victory undoubtedly reflected the growing disenchantment with his policies, largely because of their failure to improve living standards dramatically.

Gorbachev received 66% of the votes cast, a substantial drop from the 96% he received last May when he was elected chairman of the Congress of People’s Deputies.

“With changes coming thick and fast and our cadres and public opinion being, frankly, unprepared for them, we have not had enough time, of course, to do everything properly,” Gorbachev told the deputies. He noted the setbacks of his first five years as the country’s leader, as well as a rising tide of complaints that the reforms have come to a standstill and that the leadership has become indecisive.

“We have also been hampered by ingrained dogmatic views, the habit of taking a passive attitude, sitting idle and only doing what the boss tells us,” he continued.

“All these handicaps are still making themselves felt. Despite all the economic and social difficulties and other thorny problems, I would even say that inflexible mentality remains the biggest stumbling block to change.”

The program that Gorbachev outlined, however, was strategic in scope, and details were few.

He spoke of the need to consolidate the political reforms of the last five years so that society can accomplish more easily the goals on which most people here agree.

He promised to ensure the broadest and fastest implementation of constitutional changes ending the Communist Party’s long monopoly on political power and allowing other political parties to be set up to compete with it.

And he pledged to use his presidential powers to increase domestic security, fighting both the 35% per year increases in crime and preventing more civil unrest.

On foreign policy, Gorbachev spoke of extending the country’s “new political thinking” with more initiatives. These include new steps to reduce armaments this year, to arrange an all-European summit meeting in the autumn, to dissolve military blocs and to ensure that the reunification of Germany strengthens European security.

“Major decisions that will improve Soviet-American relations and allow our two countries to contribute to positive tendencies in world politics are being prepared for the Washington summit with President Bush,” he told the Congress.

As commander in chief of the Soviet armed forces, Gorbachev spoke of plans for “profound military reform,” resolving a series of complex issues that resulted from the changes in the international environment and in the domestic politics.

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