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 . Yeltsin, however, pledged Friday that if elected, he would defend the republic from Moscow interference while not letting personal conflicts interfere with his Kremlin dealings. 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 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."