Moscow, 14 February 1997 (RFE/RL) - Russian Communist Party leader Gennady Zyuganov renewed calls today for President Boris Yeltsin to voluntarily step down for the good of the country.
Zyuganov told a meeting of his National Patriotic Front in Moscow that Yeltsin should offer to resign and hand over his powers to Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin. He said Chernomyrdin should call new elections to be held in three months time, as stipulated under the Constitution. He also called for constitutional reforms to redistribute the presidential powers.
His comments come as the Duma passed a resolution demanding a full report on the state of Yeltsin's health. The Duma rejected a resolution calling on Yeltsin to step down on grounds of ill health.