The Hindu : International : A pioneer of market reforms

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Tuesday, Apr 24, 2007
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International

A pioneer of market reforms

Vladimir Radyuhin

Boris Yeltsin

MOSCOW: The former Russian President, Boris Yeltsin, who presided over the dismantling of the Soviet Union and the chaotic transition of Russia to a market economy, has died.

The Kremlin press service said Mr. Yeltsin (76), died of a heart attack on Monday. The Interfax news agency quoted medical sources as saying that Mr. Yeltsin suffered a "sudden cardiac arrest."

Mr. Yeltsin was elected Chairman of the Russian Supreme Soviet Parliament in 1990, winning the first contested election on a platform of hard-hitting criticism of Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev, whom he accused of dilly-dallying on democratic reforms.

A year later, Mr. Yeltsin engineered the dismantling of the Soviet Union — critics said in order to oust Mr. Gorbachev from the Kremlin and take his place.

Shock therapy reforms

His shock-therapy pro-market reforms led to a 50-per cent drop in industrial production, a 75-per cent fall in per-capita incomes and the shrinking of Russia's population by 5 million during his nine-year rule.

In October 1993, he sent tanks to bombard the Opposition-dominated Parliament, which rebelled against his reforms, into submission.

In December 1994, Mr. Yeltsin launched a war against separatists in the southern republic of Chechnya. Tens of thousands of people died in the conflict, but the Russian army failed to overcome the rebels and withdrew from Chechnya 20 months later, de facto recognising the region's independence.

It took another military campaign and thousands of lives more to bring Chechnya back into Russian fold under Mr. Yeltsin's successor, President Vladimir Putin.

Mr. Yeltsin's last few years as President were marked by bouts of grave illnesses. He suddenly resigned on New Year's eve in 1999 six months before the end of his second term.

A poll conducted last year showed that a mere 9 per cent of Russians have a positive view of Mr. Yeltsin, while 70 per cent think his rule did more harm than good to the country.

Half of those polled called for putting Mr. Yeltsin on trial for his "misdeeds and crimes".

A mere 1 per cent of Russians said they would like to live again in the Yeltsin era.

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