Foreign Correspondence

[Amaunet]

Putin Critic Berezovsky Says Russia May Not See 2008 Presidential Elections

Created: 20.10.2004 17:32 MSK (GMT +3), Updated: 17:33 MSK, 4 hours 57 minutes ago


MosNews
Russian businessman Boris Berezovsky, known as a staunch opponent of President Putin, has said that presidential elections in Russia are likely to be abolished before 2008.

Either the country will be turned into a parliamentary republic with Putin as prime minister or a national referendum will decide to extend the presidential term so that the incumbent can stay in power.

In his interview with the Versiya newspaper Berezovsky said that the Russian authorities are violating the constitution adopted in 1993. Putin has no other choice but to run for another term and the situation can be made legal by means of a national referendum, the businessman says.

To achieve this, the parliament, which is now under Kremlin control, will gather the Constitutional assembly and decide on the new terms for the president, he says.

The other option is that the country is turned into a parliamentary republic. In this case Putin will become prime minister and the presidential post will be abolished, Berezovsky says.

The businessman also spoke about the position of former Russian president Boris Yeltsin on the subject. He said that Yeltsin is interested in what is going on in the country, but is unable to prepare somebody who could replace Putin. “Yeltsin is strongly against destroying the current constitution and though he has no means of influence in the ruling circles he can still become a major force supporting democracy in Russia,” Berezovsky said.

http://www.mosnews.com/news/2004/10/20/berezovskyinterview.shtml