Yeltsin's main rival presents two faces of communism
Zyuganov tailors speeches to different audiences
June 14, 1996
Web posted at: 2:40 p.m. EDT (1940 GMT)From Correspondent Claire Shipman
MOSCOW (CNN) -- On the eve of Russia's presidential election, with polls showing him in a statistical tie with President Boris Yeltsin, Communist Party leader Gennady Zyuganov is presenting a kinder and gentler face to voters.
Having spent a lifetime immersed in the rigid ideology of the Communist Party, Zyuganov has been subtly distancing himself from party hard-liners.
While he lays flowers at the feet of a statue of Vladimir Ilyich Lenin and reveres Josef Stalin, Zyuganov insists he speaks not only for members of his party but for all voters who are disappointed with Yeltsin's administration.
"They say Zyuganov represents the Communist Party. But I represent a huge bloc which includes veterans, soldiers, students and women," Zyuganov says.
His grab bag style offers something for all the disenfranchised--but it's left a raging debate about just how a President Zyuganov would rule.
"As for Zyuganov, who he is, nobody knows," said Lilia Shevtsova of the Moscow Carnegie Center. "It seems to me Zyuganov himself doesn't know to what extent he's a communist, to what extent he's a nationalist. Probably much more judging on his remarks, speeches and his books, he is much more a nationalist."
A communist in capitalist's clothing?
Western investors, who are keeping a close watch on the election, may be hesitant to maintain their stake in the Russian economy if voters oust Yeltsin.
They worry less about another command economy than about general ineptitude.
Zyuganov has been trying to assured financiers that Russia will remain a good investment if he is elected.
But his message is disjointed. To Western crowds, he talks about continuing reforms -- while preaching everything from re-nationalization to price controls at home.
Asked about the seeming contradiction, he denies there is one. "That's nonsense," he says. "My positions are clear and modern, I think, and answer concerns at home and abroad."
A communist learns art of campaigning
Whatever face really belongs to Zyuganov, his intelligence can't be underestimated. The determined schoolteachers' son worked his way out of the village to the army and through the party ranks with quiet patience.
He now commands an unlikely and powerfully broad coalition of unhappy communists and nationalists. It's simply not clear whether his government would be stocked with the most vocal hard-line extremists.
His campaign style is often plodding, sometimes with all the flair of a Soviet-era visit from the local party boss.
But Zyuganov is not without political charisma and appeal. He and his party are slowly learning how to market a presidential candidate. He even carries a few jokes up his sleeve.
"I was asked recently whether I drink," he told a recent gathering of supporters. "Don't worry," he said he replied, " I drink a lot less than Boris Yeltsin, but a bit more than Mikhail Gorbachev."
Older voters drawn to comfort of old ways
Zyuganov's supporters are generally rural, older voters. Whatever Zyuganov promises, they hear a message of old-style security.
The message strikes an especially responsive chord in the Russian heartland where much of the population has felt little of benefits of reform, and many long for the security of days gone by.
Their vote for Zyuganov is one of nostalgia. Given the aging demographics, it must be strikingly clear to the communists that this election, and Zyuganov could be their last chance.
Pivotal Elections: Russia
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