Some of Yeltsin's supporters had reportedly been seeking ways for the president to circumvent constitutional term limits not to mention medical reality and seek a third go-round, although Yeltsin himself had made no move in that direction. The roster of possible successors is long but without a clear favorite. Yeltsin hinted today that he would prefer a promotion from within his own administration.
Yeltsin Says Nyet to Third Term
MOSCOW: It was an announcement that really didn't have to be made: Boris Yeltsin will step aside when his term expires in 2000. "My term ends in 2000. I will not run anymore," Yeltsin told an unlikely audience children and teachers on the first day of classes at School No. 1253 in Moscow.