Why Yeltsin May Prevail

For the former boxer, it was time to fight back. For months, Russian President Boris Yeltsin's opponents in the parliament pummeled him by obstructing key reforms such as land privatization. On Mar. 12, they struck a crowning blow and slashed his presidential powers. So on Mar. 20, Yeltsin went on the attack. He called a vote of confidence on his presidency for Apr. 25--and declared in a "special" rule that parliamentary vetoes of his decrees should not have force. Fumed parliament speaker and Yeltsin archrival Ruslan Khasbulatov: "It's a coup d'etat."

Not quite, Comrade Khasbulatov. Yeltsin's appeal to the nation marks his riskiest--and most crucial--bid yet to save economic and political reforms in Russia. Once again risking his political life, he is confronting the group of hard-line communists, nationalists, and disillusioned democrats who have gradually regained influence through the Congress of People's Deputies. At stake is Russia's stability as a state and its new cooperation with the West. "If no resolute measures are taken...the country will be plunged into anarchy," Yeltsin grimly warned millions of television viewers.