New Russian Charter Strengthens Presidency

Boris N. Yeltsin set out his design for the new post-Soviet Russia on Monday with a draft constitution that bolsters his presidency and keeps a tight rein on the vast country’s restive regions.

The constitution, which is to go before voters next month, lets Yeltsin serve out his five-year term until 1996 but sets lawmakers’ terms at two years--half the length proposed earlier.

The shorter terms and Yeltsin’s retreat from a promise to hold early presidential elections in June have fed criticism that he is strengthening his own power at the expense of the legislative branch. Since disbanding Parliament and crushing resisters in early October, Yeltsin has wielded virtually absolute power.

The new document codifies much of what the post-Soviet legislature or Yeltsin already had done by amendment or decree, such as abolishing censorship, guaranteeing the right of privacy and ensuring the right to buy and sell land.

A constitutional convention that Yeltsin handpicked in June has been drafting the charter.