Russia, unchained and uncertain

So, in the end, the contest for the Russian presidency comes down to two men shaped by Communism -- Boris Yeltsin, the apostate who broke with the Soviet faith, and Gennadi Zyuganov, still the acolyte. That seems fitting, for the voting patterns in the Russian election show a country still struggling to escape its past, and at least a generation away from making that leap.

It was clear from Sunday's vote that Russia is suspended uneasily between Communism and capitalism, and its people divided about whether to step forward or back. Russians are groping to find a political and economic system that combines the stability of Communism with the freedom of capitalism. So far, the country has not found an answer, or settled on a candidate.

Anything else would be surprising after seven decades of suffocating Soviet rule. The Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, barely a blink ago in the passage of history, and the Communist experience remains the defining force in Russian politics. That will be the case until a younger generation assumes power, untouched by the tyranny that disfigured the world of their parents and grandparents.

The Communist legacy was clearly visible in this election, starting with the field of candidates. The Communist generations still dominate Russian politics, for better and for worse. Yeltsin and Zyuganov grew up under Communism and made their careers as Communist Party members, as did most of the eight other men on the ballot. They were schooled in the brutal world of Communist politics, and enjoyed the privileges that came with absolute power. Yeltsin has a tendency to be autocratic when his leadership is challenged, and acted imperiously when he ordered Russian troops into Chechnya. The miracle is that these men now support and participate in democratic elections.

The fragmented vote itself was a reflection of Russia's political history. Yeltsin, the incumbent reformer, ran first with 35 percent of the vote. Zyuganov, the Communist Party candidate, finished second with 32 percent. Russians under 45 voted heavily for Yeltsin, while elderly voters mostly supported Zyuganov. The two men will face one another in a runoff election in July.

The second round will be decided by the millions of Russians who supported other candidates, including Aleksandr Lebed, a retired general who finished third with a surprising 15 percent of the vote. Lebed straddles the old and new Russia, calling for a restoration of law and order while condemning the abuses of Communism.

Yeltsin can count on picking up the 7 percent of the vote that went to Grigory Yavlinsky, a champion of reform, and Zyuganov will doubtless get the 6 percent won by Vladimir Zhirinovsky, an ultra-nationalist. Lebed's followers may splinter in the runoff.

Yeltsin would seem to have the advantage in assembling a winning coalition. The gravitational pull of Communism is strong, but declining, and Zyuganov must overcome fears that he would restore a dictatorship. But whatever the outcome, Russia's past still has a grip on its future, and will for years to come.

-- The New York Times