President Boris Yeltsin categorically ruled out a snap resignation yesterday and vowed to serve out his presidential mandate until it expires in 2000. In an interview on state-run RTR television, Mr Yeltsin said: "I am going nowhere. I'm not going to resign. I will work as provided for under the constitutional term to 2000."
During a 10-minute broadcast he spoke slowly after a long initial pause, and at times appeared to lose his thread. He said that the acting prime minister, Mr Viktor Chernomyrdin, would have to sort out Russia's economic mess, adding that his own role was to focus on strategic affairs of state.
"He right now has just enough powers any prime minister of a civilised country should have. It is very important to me that right now he not toss from side to side or use [them] for trivial matters. For strategic problems, consult the president. Everything else, please, just solve it."
Mr Yeltsin flatly ruled out running for a third term in presidential elections due in June 2000, the first time he has specifically said he would not contest elections in that year. "In 2000 there will be new presidential elections and there, in those elections, I will not participate," he said.
And he insisted he was not preparing to dismiss the State Duma lower house of parliament as a way out of Russia's acute political and economic crisis. "I don't intend to disband the Duma, never have and never will, no matter how much they try to scare me."
He promised to try to limit price rises and moderate the effect on ordinary citizens. Russians would suffer from the financial crisis withering the country's economy but, Mr Yeltsin pledged, a crisis package drawn up by the government would help soften the blow.
"Of course, I cannot say that prices will not rise, but as president I am obliged to do and say everything to make sure prices rise as little as possible. It would be naive to say that even after the measures taken people will not suffer, but we have taken all measures to ensure that people's savings were not hurt."
