Word: chernomyrdin
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
Moscow has had no functioning government since Aug. 23, when President Boris Yeltsin dismissed his young Prime Minister Sergei Kiriyenko. His successor, acting Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin, is under heavy pressure from the communist-dominated Duma. Parliamentarians are pushing aggressively for a greater say in running the country. Yelstin had kept them from real power but seemed prepared last weekend to surrender many of his presidential prerogatives. The communists have called for currency controls, re-nationalization and printing more rubles. On the weekend, however, Chernomyrdin went on TV to reassure Russia--and probably the West as well--that there would...
...doubtful whether reform is even listed on the Russian agenda right now; its time may have passed. Yeltsin is a spent force and shows no sign that he understands what the problem is. Chernomyrdin and the people he brings in with him think the problem is too much reform, and they intend to reverse it. When the country was first breaking out of the Soviet system, its initial step was to free prices. Now, with the ruble devalued and inflation inevitable, the communists are calling for price controls, and Chernomyrdin is listening...
MOSCOW: Russia's politicians may reach an agreement on a prime minister, but they're unlikely to agree on an economic policy. Boris Yeltsin has convened a weekend horse-trading session in the hope of securing Viktor Chernomyrdin's election on Monday, after the Duma postponed Friday's vote. "The Communists still insist they'll reject Chernomyrdin, but the tide may be turning as backroom deals have swung some key constituencies," says TIME Moscow correspondent Andrew Meier...
...fiercer battle will be over Chernomyrdin's proposal to peg the ruble to the dollar via a currency board -- everyone from international lenders to the Communist opposition is skeptical. "It's like having 1,000 people in a room with no air, and then throwing in a bottle of oxygen with enough for three or four people and saying work it out among yourselves," says Meier. The Darwinian culling of the banking sector has limited appeal to anyone except Moscow's oligarchs, who hope to salvage some of their wealth. Foreign bankers have little enthusiasm for the plan -- besides doubts...
...Determining who is in charge won't be easy, either: Although Yeltsin plans to renominate Viktor Chernomyrdin for prime minister despite his resounding rejection by the Duma on Monday, the Communists and nationalists who control the legislature may nominate their own candidate -- and the outcome of the power struggle will shape the future of Russian economic reform. "It's a serious game of chicken that could get out of control," says Quinn-Judge. And while contending factions tussle for control of the wheel, the ship is sinking fast...