Yeltsin's new challenges

As has been predicted, Russian President Boris Yeltsin won the runoff, defeating his communist rival Gennady Zyuganov by 13 percentage points.

Yeltsin's resounding victory was hailed by world leaders, who believe that under his leadership, Russia's political and economic reforms will continue for at least another four years.

Yeltsin, however, was wise enough to call for a consensus moments after his electoral triumph was announced on Thursday. He knows all too well that his new administration will not be successful in turning the world's largest country into a strong and prosperous nation by the turn of the century unless it wins support from all Russians.

Internal dissent and power struggles among his key aides remain a big problem that needs to be resolved. The hefty dominance of Communist representation in parliament is another issue that must be reckoned with.

Confronted with this fact, Yeltsin could not but act prudently to encourage the participation of political forces, including the opposition, in shaping a more unified and powerful Russia, with its population of 148 million.

"In the new team, there will be room for everybody. Let's not divide the country into victors and defeated," Yeltsin said in a nationwide televised address. The appeal evidently hinted that Yeltsin is willing to give some government posts to his opponents.

Analysts here believe that in running the country during his second term, Yeltsin -- due to his health problems -- will have to rely much on his key aides.

The 65-year-old president suffered two mild heart attacks last year, prompting speculation that he had handed over most of his power to his aides. His absence during the last days of the runoff poll had worried world leaders, and they were relieved only after Yeltsin appeared on television while casting his vote.

Among his Kremlin aides are the newly reappointed Prime Minister, Viktor Chernomyrdin, whose renomination has yet to be confirmed by the communist-dominated parliament. In addition, there is the ambitious new National Security Advisor, Alexander Lebed, who finished in third place during the presidential election's first round on June 16th, after Yeltsin and Zyuganov.

Lebed, who ascended to his present post as a result of the boiling over of tensions between Yelstin's liberal campaign team and hard-line members, reportedly had demanded the post of the vice president, which has remained empty thus far.

Chernomyrdin, however, refuted the idea of the vice presidency, saying on Thursday that "if there was a need for the post, the next vice president should be elected at the same time as the next president".

Aside from this internal dissent, Communist Party officials had also shared the view that although their leader Zyuganov was defeated, the 29 million communists who had given their votes still had a right to join Yeltsin's new government.

"Advice from the opposition must be heard out," Communist Parliament Speaker Gennady Selezbyov reportedly told the Russian Interfax news agency.

As it stands, Yeltsin's appeal for unity and consensus truly hits the mark.

What we can learn from Russia's just completed first-ever direct presidential election is that, as attested by western observers and international organizations, it was carried out freely and fairly, showing the political maturity of the Russian people in choosing their leader rightly in their journey towards democracy and prosperity.