![]() ![]() Both SPS and Yabloko have strongly opposed reviving the Soviet-era anthem but support maintaining the Tsarist flag and coat-of-arms (Russian agencies, December 6). ![]() Chubais is also a leader of the Union of Right-Wing Forces (SPS). Yesterday, deputies in the State Duma asked the chamber’s energy, transport and communications committee to determine whether Chubais–as head of UES–had the right to speak out publicly on the issue of the anthem, given that UES is a partially state-owned company. He also said that to make up for such a grave “historical” mistake, Putin should remove the “corpse” of Soviet founder Vladimir Lenin from the mausoleum on Red Square. Anatoly Chubais, who has been one of Putin’s strongest backers, harshly criticized the president for this decision (see the Monitor, December 6). Putin said that he would also urge the Duma to adopt the familiar red Soviet flag as the official banner of Russia’s armed forces. The same legislation would preserve the Tsarist-era tri-color flag and two-headed eagle coat-of-arms. Polling data have shown that the country is split roughly in half between proponents and opponents of restoring the Soviet-era anthem, which Yeltsin replaced in 1991.Įarlier this week, Putin announced that he was introducing legislation into the State Duma which would restore the original 1943 Aleksandrov music as Russia’s anthem but replace Sergei Mikhalkov’s lyrics with new words. Yeltsin told the newspaper that he agreed with Anatoly Chubais, the architect of Russian privatization who currently heads United Energy Systems, the country’s power grid, who said earlier this week that the president must not simply and blindly follow the mood of the people, but must actively influence them (NTV, December 6). In an interview with the newspaper Komsomolskaya pravda due to be published on December 8, Yeltsin said he was “categorically against” bringing back the hymn to serve as Russia’s anthem. Putin’s predecessor and one-time patron, Boris Yeltsin, has weighed in on the issue. President Vladimir Putin’s initiative to restore Russia’s Soviet-era anthem with new words continues arouse passions on both sides. ![]()
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