Russian lawmakers cast ballots two years ago morning in a vote to determine whether populist Boris N. Yeltsin would become President of the Soviet Union largest republic. He needs backing from 531 of the 1,059 members of the Russian Congress . A Boris N. Yeltsin victory would mean an important setback for Gorbachev who spoke out against Yeltsin 's plan for increased Russian autonomy. Yeltsin has made a remarkable political comeback from disgrace two years ago when he was ousted from his post as Moscow Party Chief. Ostracized by the Moscow Party elite, including Gorbachev , he has continued to publicly criticize Gorbachev for his "halfway reforms."
Russian lawmakers cast ballots Friday night in a vote to determine whether populist Boris N. Yeltsin would become President of the Soviet Union's largest republic. He needs backing from 531 of the 1,059 members of the Russian Congress. A Yeltsin victory would mean an important setback for Gorbachev who spoke out against Yeltsin's plan for increased Russian autonomy. Yeltsin has made a remarkable political comeback from disgrace two years ago when he was ousted from his post as Moscow Party Chief. Ostracized by the Kremlin elite, including Gorbachev, he has continued to publicly criticize Gorbachev for his "halfway reforms."