Boris Yeltsin Nominates Former Spy Chief as Russian Prime Minister

President Boris Yeltsin yesterday nominated Yevgeny Primakov, his former spy chief, as Prime Minister to head emergency efforts to stem the country's economic crisis. The nomination comes after leaders on all sides had warned of a political explosion if President Yeltsin had again nominated Viktor Chernomyrdin, his first choice for the position. The State Duma, Russia's lower chamber of parliament, has set confirmation hearings for the weekend.

Key Takeaways:

• President Yeltsin nominated Yevgeny Primakov, a former spy chief, as Prime Minister after Viktor Chernomyrdin asked not to be nominated for a third time.
• Chernomyrdin was rejected twice by the Duma and requested the President not to nominate him again.
• Primakov is known in Russia and internationally, and is expected to carry out policies defending the interests of the nation.
• His nomination comes after a two-week battle between President Yeltsin and the Duma over the premier's post.
• If the Duma rejects Primakov, President Yeltsin would be forced to dissolve parliament and call new elections.
• Primakov is seen as a technocrat, not ideologically linked to any political faction.
• He has been praised by most of Russia's political factions for doing a good job as Foreign Minister.
• However, his field of expertise is foreign relations, not economic policy, raising concerns about his ability to address the country's economic crisis.

Statistics:

• The rouble, Russia's currency, rose in street sales from around 20 to the US dollar on Tuesday to as strong as 10 to the dollar yesterday.
• The country's economic crisis has led to rising prices and emergency measures, such as price controls, in some regions.
• Russia's economic collapse has been exacerbated by the two-week battle over the premier's post.