DATE=12/16/1999
TYPE=BACKGROUND REPORT
TITLE=RUSSIA ELECTIONS, INTELLIGENSIA
NUMBER=5-45019
BYLINE=EVE CONANT
DATELINE=ST. PETERSBURG
CONTENT=

VOICED AT:

INTRO:  Over the past few years, Russia's Communists 
and nationalists have been saying a stronger hand is 
needed to rule the country.  Now some members of 
Russia's intelligentsia are saying the same thing.  
Their statements come as Russians face parliamentary 
elections this Sunday and presidential elections next 
June.  Liberal politicians in St. Petersburg, 
considered the intellectual and cultural heart of 
Russia, say their voters are turning away from 
democratic idealism after years of painful economic 
reforms.  V-O-A Correspondent Eve Conant reports.

TEXT:  Supporters of the liberal, democratic Yabloko 
movement brave St. Petersburg's chilling rain and icy 
streets to distribute leaflets at a busy intersection. 
Just a few meters away, a handful of boisterous women 
demonstrate against Yabloko and voice their 
frustration.

            /// NAT SOUND WOMEN SHOUTING ///

"The Yabloko party started all these reforms - they 
betrayed us!" shouts one woman.

Passersby are not surprised that the Communist 
demonstrators are condemning a democratic movement. 
But what is different this election season is that 
those who considered themselves liberals are now 
joining the ranks of those questioning whether 
democratic reforms have helped Russia.

Chief of Yabloko's campaign election headquarters, 
Mikhail Gorny, says his party's support is still 
highest in St. Petersburg because of the democratic 
leanings of its citizens. But he says Russians are 
losing their democratic idealism and increasingly 
turning to tough talking Prime Minister Vladimir Putin 
as a kind of messiah.

            /// ACT GORNY ///

      It's a pity.  It's a consequence of their 
      disappointment with radical, liberal reforms. 
      You know why Mr. Putin, our prime minister has 
      an extremely high rating?  Because he is not a 
      Communist, he is not a fascist, he is something 
      like a messiah. He provides our people with 
      order in Chechnya. They hope he will provide 
      them with a roof over their heads, order in the 
      streets and sausage in the store. To my mind, 
      this is the main reason why they support Mr. 
      Putin and they do not talk, do not think about 
      democracy. They talk and think about order.

            /// END ACT ///

Mr. Gorny says the issue of maintaining order is 
directly linked to the war in Chechnya. The 
intelligentsia condemned Russia's 1994 war in the 
breakaway republic, but now, even in relatively well-
educated St. Petersburg, support for Mr. Putin and the 
war effort is at an all time high. 

The prime minister's popularity, says Mr. Gorny, makes 
it practically impossible for opposition parties to 
condemn the Kremlin or openly criticize the Chechen 
campaign.

            /// SECOND ACT GORNY ///

      We also would like to have a lot of seats in the 
      state Duma. So we should be very flexible, you 
      understand? Of course it is true and it is our 
      point of view that the war in Chechnya is a bad 
      thing and we are strongly against this war. But 
      we can't talk about it every day in the mass 
      media - the vast majority of our voters 
      unfortunately support this war. We can't do that 
      - we are very careful.

            /// END ACT ///

Liberal parties must also tread carefully when 
discussing economic and political reforms or else they 
risk alienating voters like philosophy professor 
Alexander Sholkin. He says many of his friends still 
want reforms, but he indicates progress can only be 
made with a tough, authoritarian politician at the 
helm. 

/// ACT SHOLKIN IN RUSSIAN IN FULL AND FADE UNDER ///

"The early reformers had good intentions and tried to 
make Russia resemble the Wwest," he says. But they 
failed and instead he says Russia got what he calls "a 
criminal capitalism." Professor Sholkin says what the 
country needs now is a return to the old formula - 
"reform plus strong force."

Perhaps that is why this time, Yabloko and other 
parliamentary hopefuls are taking a more sober 
approach to their election campaigns. Yabloko 
candidates say their new economic policy does not call 
for radical reform. Instead, it advocates what they 
describe as a "liberal-social" combination - a mix of 
market reforms and Soviet style welfare benefits. 

Yabloko's campaign manager, Mikhail Gorny, looks 
depressed as he explains the new atmosphere among 
voters here in St. Petersburg. He says it is best 
described as "Material comforts first, ideas and 
democracy second." (Signed)

NEB/EC/GE/KL 



16-Dec-1999 11:51 AM EDT (16-Dec-1999 1651 UTC)
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Source: Voice of America
.