CNN - Yeltsin grabs slight lead as early returns come in

Yeltsin grabs slight lead as early returns come in

Runoff likely in Russian presidential election

June 16, 1996
Web posted at: 5:20 p.m. EDT (2120 GMT)

MOSCOW (CNN) -- Early returns gave Russian President Boris Yeltsin a narrow lead over his Communist rival Gennady Zyuganov in a crucial presidential race that will determine the future direction of Russia.

With 30 percent of the vote counted, Yeltsin was leading with about 34.4 percent of the vote, followed by Zyuganov with 31.38 percent, the Central Election Commission reported.

Retired general Alexander Lebed was in third place with 14.4 percent, followed by economist Grigory Yavlinsky with 8.47 percent percent, and Vladimir Zhirinovsky with 7.23.

Presidential Election

Yeltsin 34.4%

Zyuganov 31.38%

Lebed 14.4%

Yavlinsky 8.47%

Zhirinovsky 7.23%

30% reporting

The Electoral Commission said it appeared certain that no candidate would receive 50 percent of the vote, so a runoff would be necessary. The second round is currently set for July 7.

Yeltsin's thin lead was met with elation in his Moscow election headquarters, where officials earlier had been worried that not enough of their supporters would turn out.

Yavlinksy, Lebed, and Zhirinovsky, are expected to finish behind Yeltsin and Zyuganov, who are already making overtures for their support.

While Sergei Karaganov, a member of the Presidential Council, predicted Lebed would support Yeltsin in the second round, Zyuganov said he is prepared to convince so-called "third force" candidates about backing him in the next round of voting.

Early election results were mainly from the Far East and eastern Siberia where Communists and nationalists are traditionally strong. In fact, the region supported Zhirinovsky's Liberal Democratic Party or the Communist Party in parliamentary elections, last December.

"In the Far East, Yeltsin is doing even better than expected," said Vyacheslav Nikonov, Yeltsin's chief campaign analyst.

As votes came in from across 11 times zones, officials in Yeltsin's campaign worried that the turnout, particularly in western Russia, would not be enough to offset the vote for Zyuganov.

If the turnout dropped below 64 percent in western Russia, then Yeltsin would be in trouble, his campaign officials said.

Central Electoral Commission officials said revised totals showed that 61,596,000 voters or 58 percent of those eligible had cast ballots some four hours before polls closed.

Electoral Commission officials say they expect Sunday's turnout for the presidential ballot to be near 70 percent of Russia's 106 million eligible voters.

Voting marks the end of bitter campaign

Sunday's marathon voting marked the end of a bitter campaign. Voters faced a stark choice between four more years of Yeltsin's harsh, unpopular reforms or a return to Communism under Zyuganov.

Yeltsin himself, however, exuded tremendous confidence, telling reporters after voting that a Communist victory was "out of the question."

Zyuganov was no less upbeat, saying he was confident of victory as long as the vote was counted honestly.

Armed guards watched over the polls and thousands of soldiers patrolled a tense capital to protect against terrorism. Plainclothes security officials were on the lookout along the route.

Police reported only scattered violence across Russia, and even continuing rebel attacks failed to seriously disrupt balloting in breakaway Chechnya.

Yeltsin has painted himself as the candidate of stability and accused the Communists of wanting to return to the days of shortages and repression.

Zyuganov has hammered away at corruption in Yeltsin's government and promised that his government would restore the social safety net that ended with the dissolution of the Soviet Union.

In addition to the two top candidates, the eight others on the ballot span the political spectrum from economic liberals to strident ultra-nationalists.

Pivotal Elections: Russia

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Yeltsin	34.4%
Zyuganov	31.38%
Lebed	14.4%
Yavlinsky	8.47%
Zhirinovsky	7.23%

Yeltsin grabs slight lead as early returns come in

Runoff likely in Russian presidential election

Presidential Election

Voting marks the end of bitter campaign

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