Russian lawmakers began impeachment hearings to remove Boris Yeltsin today, hearing allegations that the president is guilty of treason, first-degree murder and plotting to sell out Russia to the West.
Political leaders say the chances of impeaching Yeltsin soared after the president outraged lawmakers yesterday by sacking the country's popular prime minister, Yevgeny Primakov. A vote on impeachment in the lower chamber of parliament, the Duma, could be held tomorrow.
Opening the impeachment hearing, the impeachment commission read out its case on the five charges against Yeltsin. The report lambasted Yeltsin for destroying the Soviet Union, alleged that he murdered people when troops dissolved parliament in 1993 and was guilty of genocide for lowering living standards in Russia with market reforms.
Vadim Filimonov, the Communist head of the impeachment commission, said first-degree murder charges were justified for the 1993 shelling of the then Duma. Yeltsin "didn't kill anybody of course. But he gave orders to kill people," he told the chamber.
Yeltsin was also accused of destroying the Soviet Union to enable Nato to dominate the world. "It was exactly because of the collapse of the USSR that Nato was able to advance to our borders and bomb Iraq and Yugoslavia," Filimonov said.
The impeachment bid comes at a critical time for Russia. The government has been engaged in difficult talks with international lenders about debt restructuring, and it has been playing a pivotal role in attempting to mediate a settlement between NATO and Yugoslavia.
About 500 Communists waving red flags demanded Yeltsin's removal today as they demonstrated outside the parliament building in central Moscow. A smaller group of pro-Yeltsin supporters rallied across the street.
Lawmakers, including many centrists who have backed Yeltsin, were furious over the dismissal of Primakov. "There is no doubt that after yesterday's decision by the president the chance of getting 300 votes in favour of at least one impeachment article is high," said Alexander Shokhin, a deputy of the centrist Our Home is Russia party.
To impeach Yeltsin, 300 deputies or two-thirds of the chamber must vote for one or more of the five impeachment charges. Communist leader Gennady Zyuganov said, "I think the impeachment motion shall pass. I've spoken to faction leaders and even those who were wavering are now saying that Yeltsin must go."
If the Duma votes for impeachment, it will just be the first step. To remove Yeltsin from office the Duma motion must be supported by two-third majorities of the supreme and constitutional courts and the upper chamber of parliament - which is still considered unlikely.
Duma deputies across the spectrum said they did not expect the Duma to approve Yeltsin's choice of Sergei Stepashin to replace Primakov. Stepashin was named acting prime minister while the Duma considers his confirmation.
Duma elections, scheduled for December, could be held early, but the Russian constitution is confusing on the issue. The constitution says the Duma can't be dissolved if it votes for impeachment, but also mandates dissolution if it rejects the president's choice for prime minister three times.
The president faces five counts of impeachment: instigating the 1991 Soviet collapse, improperly using force against hard-line lawmakers in 1993, launching the botched 1994-96 war in Chechnya, ruining Russia's military, and waging genocide against Russians with economic policies that impoverished the country.
The Chechnya charge is the one most likely to attract enough votes for impeachment. In addition to the Communists and their allies, the Yabloko faction of liberal economist Grigory Yavlinsky has said it would back the impeachment charge accusing Yeltsin of initiating the disastrous war.