Rutskoi Would Run for President if Yeltsin Is Forced to Resign

Rebellious Vice President Alexander V. Rutskoi, presenting himself for the first time as an alternative leader to Boris N. Yeltsin, said in remarks published Tuesday that he is ready to run for president of Russia.

But the 45-year-old air force officer, public focus of the opposition drive ahead of Sunday’s referendum on Russia’s future, was careful to avoid challenging the incumbent directly, saying he would seek the presidency only if Yeltsin were forced to resign.

“I am not going to surrender, I have enough strength, I fully understand the situation and, without any doubt, I will put forward my candidacy,” he told the daily Komsomolskaya Pravda newspaper.

The two men were elected together in June, 1991, but Rutskoi has become ever more critical of the government’s radical economic reforms and has gradually moved over to the opposition.

Last week, he accused several top Yeltsin team members of corruption and has strongly opposed foreign agricultural aid on the grounds it is helping destroy Russia’s economy.

Yeltsin’s other main rival, Parliament Chairman Ruslan I. Khasbulatov, accused the president’s camp of cheating and intriguing to win the referendum.

Under referendum rules, Yeltsin needs the support of 50% of the electorate--as opposed to 50% of the turnout--to win. But Yeltsin has said he considers the rules illegal and will ignore them.