A drawn-out murmur echoed in the vaulted chamber of the Grand Kremlin Palace. From his front-row seat on the dais, President Mikhail Gorbachev enjoyed an unobstructed view of the extraordinary scene, but many of the 1,376 deputies at last week's session of the Supreme Soviet were forced to turn their heads to see what was going on -- not on the podium but in their midst. A motion to approve major changes in the constitution had just been put to a vote, but the show of hands was not unanimous. "Could I ask for a count of those voting against?" asked...
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