; A proposal to change the name of Leningrad back to St. Petersburg reportedly won the approval of 55 percent of the voters in a non-binding referendum, but the ballot counting was not yet complete.; Even from the preliminary reports gathered by the Russian Information Agency and other independent news organizations from across Russia, the size of Yeltsin's victory was impressive. Yeltsin , the radical populist who campaigned for transformation of the Soviet economy on the principles of free enterprise, may have won a solid victory Wednesday as the first elected president of the Soviet Union's . He appeared certain of the absolute majority of more than 50 percent needed on the first ballot, avoiding a runoff. A Yeltsin victory would represent a distinct threat to Gorbachev , who never faced a popular election. Boris Yeltsin could claim that he alone has a democratic mandate to speak for the people of Russia largest republic. Preliminary reports from widely diverse constituencies indicate an impressive victory.
Yeltsin , the radical populist who campaigned for transformation of the Soviet economy on the principles of free enterprise, may have won a solid victory Wednesday as the first elected president of the Soviet Union's . He appeared certain of the absolute majority of more than 50 percent needed on the first ballot, avoiding a runoff. A Yeltsin victory would represent a distinct threat to Gorbachev , who never faced a popular election. Boris Yeltsin could claim that he alone has a democratic mandate to speak for the people of Russia largest republic. Preliminary reports from widely diverse constituencies indicate an impressive victory.