RUSSIA: YELTSIN FACING IMPEACHMENT

Описание: (15 May 1999) Russian/Nat
The Russian State Duma is gearing up for a vote on impeachment, which could see the start of the lengthy procedure of removing President Boris Yeltsin from the office.
Hundreds of pro-impeachment protesters gathered outside the Duma building on Saturday, to encourage deputies to vote in favour of impeachment.
Saturday's vote in the Duma marks the end of a nearly year-long impeachment marathon in Russia.
The state Duma, the lower house of the Russian parliament, is set to vote for the first time in its history, on an attempt to remove the country's top official from office.
Five separate charges are levelled against President Boris Yeltsin - breaking up the Soviet Union, using force against the previous parliament in 1993, launching the war in Chechnya, ruining the armed forces and, finally, genocide against the Russian people through market reforms.
Hundreds of angry protesters gathered outside the Duma building to urge deputies to vote to impeach Yeltsin.
For many of them, the charges against the president don't go far enough.
SOUNDBITE: (Russian)
"To those five charges that are brought against him I would add at least five more. Take for instance, a betrayal of brothers - Yugoslavs! But his worst crime is degenerating of the vast majority of the Russian people." SUPER CAPTION: Tamara Semyanikhina, protester
Meanwhile, Duma deputies are busy calculating the possible outcome of the vote.
Three-hundred votes or two thirds of the House's total are needed to start the legal procedures of the impeachment.
With leftist factions set to vote against Yeltsin on all charges, the pivotal role goes to the liberal Yabloko party.
Its members have declared they'll support one of the five charges: launching the war in Chechnya.
The prediction is that on this charge, Yeltsin may be impeached by the narrowest of margins.
SOUNDBITE: (Russian)
"I think President will understand that we are acting inside the framework of the Constitution. He might have to fire some people from his staff for they did not manage to stop the impeachment procedures. And I think for at least the one of the charges, for the third, minimum 300 deputies will vote."
SUPER CAPTION: Gennady Seleznyov, Duma speaker
Deputies started the session by arguing over details of the voting.
It's been decided that the vote will be open.
They then debated what colour the ballot papers should be - deciding on different colours for each of the five ballots deputies received.
Communist leader Gennady Zyuganov has accused Yeltsin of wrecking thousands of years of Russian civilisation and destroying the nation's wealth and its soul.
He's hoping the vote will secure Yeltsin's ouster.
SOUNDBITE: (Russian)
"It is very simple: if today we gather 400 votes and on Monday, say, 150 in the Federation Council, than Yeltsin would have no choice but resign. And no catastrophe will follow that, I guarantee."
SUPER CAPTION: Gennady Zyuganov, Communist Party leader
The deputies of Duma are expected to cast their ballots at 12:30 local time (09:30gmt).
The results will be known in the following few hours.

Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork
Twitter:   / ap_archive  
Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​
Instagram:   / apnews  


You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...