All or nothing

General Alexander Lebed's bid for a Siberian governorship on Sunday could bring him the presidency in 2000, or dump him firmly in the politi...

General Alexander Lebed8217;s bid for a Siberian governorship on Sunday could bring him the presidency in 2000, or dump him firmly in the political wilderness.

8220;Either I win, or I give up any thought of taking part in the presidential election,8221; he said at a recent public meeting.

Just 18 months ago Lebed, 48, was the most popular political figure in Russia, after surprisingly taking third place in the 1996 presidential poll with 15 per cent of the vote.

Switching his support to Boris Yeltsin for the run-off, he was rewarded with the post of national security council secretary, only to be sacked within weeks. Since then the media8217;s interest in him has waned, and everything now hinges on his securing the governorship of Krasnoyarsk.

The region is a tempting prize, one of the largest and richest in Russia, covering an area four times as large as France.Should he become governor of Krasnoyarsk, a vast region with more than three million inhabitants, Lebed would automatically have a seat in the upper houseof Parliament, the Federation Council, providing him with a political and administrative launch pad for his bid to succeed Yeltsin.

But the former parachute commander faces tough opposition in the shape of outgoing governor Valery Zubov, Communist Party candidate Pyotr Romanov and the boss of an aluminium plant, Valery Zakharnov.

Zubov, who is ahead of Leb-ed in the opinion polls, is backed by a number of powerful local industrialists as well as the Onexim Finance house, owners of the world8217;s biggest nickel producer, Norilsk, and Moscow mayor Yuri Luzhkov.

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Luzhkov, who arrived in Krasnoyarsk this week to join the campaign, said on Wednesday: 8220;It is clear that Lebed has only come here to draw on its rich resources to fund his future campaign8221; for the presidency.

The incumbent governor, Zubov, showed his political astuteness on Thursday when, according to ITAR-TASS news agency, he ordered that all 850,000 copies of Lebed8217;s electoral newsletter be seized.

The order was given because the newslettercontained an article accusing Zubov8217;s campaign manager of preparing 8220;a subversive act8221; which would be blamed on Lebed8217;s supporters, the agency said.

The governor had set up an investigation in which the newsletter would be used as evidence. Lebed told Siberian television that he had 8220;nothing to do8221; with the article, adding that his own campaign manager had inserted it.

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The retired general has apparently abandoned his habit of making doubtful jokes and sweeping statements. He is campaigning in civilian clothes and has attempted to soften his gravel voice. 8220;Considering his position in the opinion polls, the number of attacks against him and accusations that he wants to be a nationalist dictator, he is obliged to change his image,8221; an aide said.8220;His first test is here in Krasnoyarsk.8221;

8212; The Guardian News Service