Yeltsin Loses Twice

In a Power Showdown Congress tries to strip his authority and rejects a Russia-wide vote

FIGUREHEAD OR DICTATOR? RUSSIAN PRESIDENT Boris Yeltsin seemed to be facing just that stark a choice: he could either bow to a resolution passed by the Congress of People's Deputies stripping him of much of his power, or dissolve the parliament and try to institute a presidential regime propped up by the military. Before resorting to that "final option," though, Yeltsin played another card: he sought to put the question of who should wield the ultimate power in Russia to a nationwide vote. But the Congress, staying in session two extra days, rejected Yeltsin's plebiscite plan and put the President on...

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