Nikolai Ryzhkov, the former Soviet prime minister, was reported running a distant second, averaging about 20 percent of the votes cast but doing better in rural areas where the Communist Party had mobilized support among farmworkers.; Although a strong vote for Ryzhkov and perhaps other conservative candidates in Russia's smaller cities and rural areas could diminish Yeltsin's margin, he appeared certain of the absolute majority of more than 50 percent he needed to win the presidency on the first ballot, avoiding a runoff election.; The likely size of that victory, moreover, should not only assure Yeltsin the new executive presidency of the Russian federation, the largest Soviet republic, but also give him the mandate he sought for sweeping political and economic changes in the Soviet Union as a whole.; A beaming Yeltsin was greeted by chants of "Victory! Victory!" from scores of supporters as he voted in Moscow. After dropping his ballot in a box, he raised his fist and clasped his hands above his head in triumph.; "This is a celebration of the Russian federation's sovereignty," said Yeltsin, noting that Wednesday was a holiday in the republic to mark the first anniversary of Russia's move to wrest control of its resources away from the Kremlin.; Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev refused to say who got his vote after he cast his ballot in Moscow. But he stressed that he is willing to work with the winner.; "I am ready to cooperate with anyone who will be elected by Russians," Gorbachev said. "There will be no problems from my side."; It is clear, however, that a Yeltsin victory would represent a distinct threat to Gorbachev, who has never faced a popular election. Yeltsin would be able to claim that he alone has a democratic mandate to speak for the people of the Soviet Union's largest republic.; Ryzhkov, at another polling station, said: "Social tension is high, and if we make drastic decisions that affect people's lives, there will be unpredictable consequences. . . . I cannot allow Russia and the rest of the country to be divided into two camps, one camp for Gorbachev and the other for Ryzhkov or some other person."; In other results, the radical leaders of Moscow and Leningrad, Gavriil Popov and Anatoly A. Sobchak, appeared to have won election over conservative rivals as executive mayors with greater executive powers, according to the independent Russian Information Agency.; 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.; In constituencies as diverse as the Soviet navy's Pacific fleet, fishermen and merchant sailors at sea, mining towns beyond the Arctic Circle, Siberia's great industrial centers, the ancient cities of European Russia and regions along the Chinese and Mongolian borders, Yeltsin won the support of 55 percent to 80 percent of the voters, according to unofficial reports from the Russian Information Agency.; Such a victory, demonstrating a strong majority support across the country, should boost Yeltsin's political stature considerably.; Boris Yeltsin ahead in election; (box) Born: Feb 1, 1931, in Butka, Siberia, in Russian republic; (box) 1955: Construction worker in Sverdlovsk; (box) 1976: First secretary, Sverdiocsk District Central Committee; (box) 1985: First secretary of Moscow Communist Party.; (box) 1987: Outburst against conservative archrival Yegor Ligachev leads to Yeltsin's ouster from Politburo.; (box) 1989: Bounces back from disgrace; wins 89% of vote to be Moscow's representative in New Congress of People's Deputies, the national parliament.; (box) 1990: Republic's parliament elects him president of Russia.; (box) June 12, 1991: In Russia's first popular election, Yeltsin leads by large margin in race for president.
Boris 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 Russia. 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. But in an election that was widely seen as rigged and marred by allegations of fraud, Putin emerged with a clear majority. Preliminary reports from widely diverse constituencies indicate an impressive victory.