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one of the
main reasons for yeltsin抯 political longevity was that it was not
clear who could replace him. during the perestroika period,
against the communist hardliners there had been gorbachev and the
reform communists; against gorbachev there had been yeltsin and the
democrats; but against yeltsin there were various extremist forces
that could spell trouble for russia. in this sense, he became
irreplaceable. |
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however flawed
yeltsin might be, the alternatives appeared worse. this was a
verdict reiterated by the voters in june桱uly 1996: 揥hatever we say
of yeltsin, even in his condition [having suffered his second heart
attack], he is still the only guarantor of democracy and the
irreversibility of economic reform.?there is no doubt that, for
most russians, he was the only man they could see as their president
at the time. many were against a communist taking the top job and
feared the new uncertainty this could bring to their lives. as a
result, yeltsin抯 era was prolonged by three and a half years.
to many,
yeltsin抯 second presidential term, marked by prolonged spells of
passivity and ill health on his part, appears to have been in many
respects a period of wasted opportunities for russia. indeed, for
nearly the entire second half of 1996 yeltsin devoted very little
time to performing the duties of office. a heart attack suffered
between the first and second rounds of the presidential election in
the summer required that he undergo heart bypass surgery, which was
performed in november 1996. preparation for the surgery and
recuperation from it, followed by a severe bout of pneumonia, left
him unable to make all but the most pressing decisions for well over
half a year.
he resumed a
more normal schedule only in the spring of 1997, but even then
yeltsin was unable to exercise the duties of his office with any
consistency or impose a common policy line on the huge presidential
administration.
