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Yeltsin takes office as crisis deepens in Chechnya
August 9, 1996
Web posted at: 10:00 a.m. EDT (1400 GMT)MOSCOW (CNN) -- A tired-looking Boris Yeltsin was sworn in as president of Russia Friday as fierce fighting in the breakaway republic of Chechnya threatened to overshadow what was to be Yeltsin's triumphant re-election.
Looking fatigued and moving slowly, Boris Yeltsin was sworn in to his second consecutive term in a down-sized inauguration that renewed questions about his health.
Yeltsin had two heart attacks last year and took a lengthy rest after his July 3 election. His aides insist he is not seriously ill but only needs a rest after his vigorous campaign.
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In his first public appearance in more than six weeks, Yeltsin walked slowly onto the stage of the State Kremlin Palace and stood stiffly as he took the oath of office before thousands of Russian dignitaries. A Russian army artillery unit fired a 30-gun salute in the Kremlin grounds and the Russian presidential flag was raised over the palace after Yeltsin took the oath.
He declined to deliver a speech as he had done during his inauguration five years ago. Instead, he spoke for only 45 seconds -- his speech slow and firm but slightly slurred.
"I swear, in exercising my authorities as president of the Russian Federation, to respect and uphold the rights and freedoms of the individual and the citizen," Yeltsin said stiffly, his hand resting on a copy of the Russian constitution.
"Yeltsin's delivery during his oath and the fact that he made no speech indicated that he was unwell, but his bearing when he walked to the podium suggested that the illness was not very serious," Russian political analyst Andrei Kortunov told CNN after the ceremony.
Chechnya reportedly 'out of control'
The inauguration, a planned symbol of triumph for Yeltsin and his democratic reforms, was clouded by the fourth day of renewed fighting in the breakaway republic of Chechnya.
"The situation is totally out of control," a Russian military source told the Interfax news agency which reported that Chechen rebels had surrounding some 7,000 Russian soldiers.
From the capital of Grozny, CNN's Steve Harrigan reported that Russian helicopters were pounding Chechens with missiles in a furious display of force following an offensive by rebels.
Throughout the day, he said, rebels had been engaged in intense fighting with Russian forces and had reportedly surrounded several government buildings in Grozny. It was not clear whether the assault was timed to coincide with Yeltsin's inauguration, although it was clearly an indication of the numerous challenges that lay ahead for Yeltsin.
Yeltsin to resume rest
Despite the latest flare-up of violence in Chechnya, Yeltsin's aides announced that the president, who returned Tuesday to the Kremlin for work for the first time since his July 3 re-election, would be starting a long vacation after his inauguration.
Yeltsin's national security adviser and former political rival Alexander Lebed, who has been critical of Russia's handling of Chechnya, has been tapped to supervise the situation.
Chechen rebels and the Russian government signed a peace accord during Yeltsin's campaign. But fighting began anew in July, with Chechen rebels claiming they were provoked into action by a Russian military offensive that began shortly after the presidential election.
Traditional ceremony scaled back
The inauguration was to be a glittering occasion in the Kremlin's historic Cathedral Square, near where the last Russian czar, Nicholas II, was crowned exactly a century ago. The venue and form of the ceremony were intended to signal the emergence of a new Russian democracy and, CNN was told only last week, designed to rekindle links with a pre- Communist past.
But at the last minute, citing budget restraints, the scheduled hour-long ceremony was cut to 20 minutes and moved into the Grand Palace, a gloomy Soviet-era building where Yeltsin became president five years ago.
Although the inauguration venue was changed, its planners still wanted to encourage festive spirits among Moscow's residents. Banners throughout the city called on Muscovites to "rejoice" in a new era of Russian democracy.
For many, however, the banners' slogans have a hollow ring. The promise of this inaugural summer is fading, as an ailing president and his people move uncertainly towards what may be an autumn of deepening discontent.
Correspondents Mike Hanna and Steve Harrigan, The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
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