Mudslingers in Action as Russian Vote Nears

Mud flew everywhere in Russia’s referendum campaign Thursday, with President Boris N. Yeltsin being accused of planning to rig the vote and his defense minister facing charges of corruption.

A statement published by the parliamentary press office accused Yeltsin of getting ready to falsify the outcome of Sunday’s vote, on which his and Russia’s political future could depend.

It also accused the Kremlin leader of planning to impose authoritarian rule starting Sunday night with the help of armed bands of Cossacks. A spokesman for Yeltsin, who has tried to avoid dirty tactics himself, dismissed the allegations as “lies and slander.”

In a separate development, the prosecutor-general’s office said it has evidence that Defense Minister Pavel S. Grachev abused his official position.

It said a criminal investigation has shown that Grachev and other top ministry officials were implicated in a swindle over property belonging to former Soviet troops in eastern Germany.

Allegations of corruption in government circles have been a frequent weapon in the hands of Yeltsin’s conservative opponents in the run-up to the four-point referendum. Officials have strenuously denied the accusations.

Russia’s 107 million voters will be asked whether they have confidence in the president, whether they back his tough austerity policies and whether they favor early elections of president and Parliament.

Yeltsin, boosted by a court ruling Wednesday that resolved a dispute over voting rules in his favor and improved his chances of success, made a new foray to the provinces to drum up support.

In the autonomous republic of Udmurtia, a region dominated by the arms industry, he forswore the use of force as a weapon in the political struggle that has endangered his grip on power.

“We shall have to take a series of tough steps, but certainly without soldiers,” Yeltsin told reporters.