Regards, Ivan
Posted on 07/06/2004 10:25:49 PM PDT by MadIvan
IT HAS been a humiliating few days for Gennadi Zyuganov, the leader of Russia’s once-mighty Communist Party.
When the party opened its congress at the weekend the lights went out in the auditorium shortly after delegates had sung the national anthem.
Mr Zyuganov, who almost brought the party back to power in the mid-1990s, had to read his speech by torchlight.
Meanwhile, a splinter faction elected a new leader, Vladimir Tikhonov, at a parallel meeting on a riverboat. It accused Mr Zyuganov of links to “oligarchic capital” and vowed to investigate his record since 1991.
Yesterday Mr Zyuganov complained to President Putin about what he considers is deliberate sabotage of his party. “The President promised he would look into the situation,” he said afterwards.
The irony is that Mr Zyuganov — and most political analysts — believe the Kremlin is behind the Communists’ misfortunes. And an even greater irony is that the party’s survival is now seen as key to the future of Russian democracy. Nikolai Petrov, of the Moscow Carnegie Centre, said: “The Kremlin has been trying for a long time to organise a split in the Communist Party to provide more control over the Left. It’s divide and conquer.”
Until last year’s parliamentary elections the Communists held 113 seats in the 450-seat Duma — enough to block legislation proposed by the Kremlin. Over the past four years Mr Putin has choked them of funding by warning business leaders to stay out of politics. One who paid no heed, Mikhail Khodorkovsky, is on trial for tax evasion and fraud.
The Kremlin also capitalised on the Communists’ ideological confusion by encouraging the formation of a new nationalist party, Motherland, which drew away many Communist supporters. Its strategy paid off in last year’s election, when the Communists won just 51 seats. Mr Zyuganov did not even stand in the presidential election in March.
But the Kremlin was apparently not satisfied. It wanted to ensure that the Communists would not find a new leader to challenge Mr Putin.
Mr Tikhonov, Governor of the Ivanovo region, is seen as a more compliant figure. He derives much of his support from Gennadi Semigin, a rival of Mr Zyuganov who was expelled from the Communist Party in May for collaborating with the Kremlin.
Both factions now claim legitimacy and say they intend to register with the Justice Ministry. Mr Petrov said: “It’s quite possible that the Justice Ministry will intervene and Tikhonov will win.”
Regards, Ivan
Ping!
"Who moved my cheese?"
As his laughter heard in the halls he then walked off in.
What the hell???? Only Western insane press can link those who destroy democracy with mear touch to being defenders of very things they proclaim is evil and must be put to stop...The communists through 90's promised to come back and remove all forms of government and return Politiburo...what is it with the West? Is it that the media now angry that Russia is succeeding without communists?
As for Khodorkovsky, that was for attempts to sell oil fields to Shell and Exon...when the Kremlin tell him that foreigners WILL NOT control strategic nation resource.
Yes such evil thing as land reform (land for sale), tax cuts, judicial reform, tarrifs (that now allow full load of auto factories in Russia to work) and tons of other thing...those evil reforms that lift Russia from hell hole communists like to something they never reached in selves.
bump
OH OH KGB AGENT turn his back on his communist forefather this going get good Ivan
OH YEAH
LOL!
Especially when their own tactics are used against them.
Under Communism, GUM was out of cheese.
Yes.
[lift the martini glass]
A toast: may the Communist party fade away...
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