In Yeltsin's absence
After all the dodging and deception about Boris Yeltsin's health, it is refreshing to get some candor from the Russian leader. He announced last week that he needs heart surgery and plans an operation later this month. On Tuesday Yeltsin applied some of the same openness and decisiveness to the question of how Russia will be ruled in his absence, whether that turns out to be a brief or extended period. But too much still remains unclear.
Yeltsin has temporarily placed most national security and law enforcement authority under the direct control of Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin. That leaves a troubling degree of ambiguity over precisely how much presidential power will be transferred and for how long. Yeltsin's spokesman, for instance, made a point of noting yesterday that his boss was not relinquishing nuclear command authority.
The Russian Constitution provides for the prime minister to fill in for three months if the president is incapacitated or dies. After that, if the president cannot serve, a new election must be held. But there are no formal guidelines or mechanisms for determining when a president is sufficiently infirm to warrant a transfer of power. In the turbulent inner councils of the Kremlin, where Chernomyrdin, chief of staff Anatoly Chubais and the national security adviser, Alexander Lebed, are vying for influence, that kind of latitude is an invitation to instability.
Though Yeltsin and his doctors have not specified the nature of his heart ailment or the type of operation he will have, the most likely procedure is bypass surgery. If all goes well, Yeltsin should eventually be able to enjoy a more active life than he has in recent months, but the recovery period after such a major operation can last several months.
Yeltsin and his aides should settle on a clearer, more comprehensive plan for transferring power in advance of the surgery. In a newly democratic society, there is no more important or potentially volatile moment than a shift of power, especially when a leader is incapacitated or dies. Yeltsin and his government owe Russians no less than an orderly transfer.
-- The New York Times