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Journalism of Courage
MOSCOW, OCT 18: The Communist speaker of the Duma, Russia’s lower house of parliament, called on President Boris Yeltsin to step down on Saturday, Interfax news agency said.
Gennady Seleznev said the resignation of the ailing Yeltsin “would be the best thing for him and for the country”. ITAR-TASS also quoted Seleznev as saying that the Duma could vote next month on Yeltsin’s impeachment.
Left-wing parties which have majority in Duma told Interfax on Saturday they would decide in the coming week on impeachment proposals.
Seleznev, one time relatively close to Yeltsin, said that the Russian president should be reduced to that of a figure head, as in Germany. In any case, he said, he would be standing for speaker of the Duma again in 1999 and for President when Yeltsin’s term expires in 2000.
