Nor does the problem lie in his declining health, though sooner or later nature will exact its due. The trouble is in the complete bankruptcy of the neoliberal economic model, in Russia and throughout the world. It was the forced recognition by the Kremlin of this fact that brought Primakov to power last September. Now an illusory normalization has appeared, but a return to the old policies will very quickly lead to a repetition of the same crises. The outcome, however, may be different because the mood of the country has changed.
People are no longer willing simply to be victims.
The deputies, learning from the experience of 1993, have not put up any particular resistance. The government has submitted to the president's decision. But millions of people in Russia are little concerned with the constitutional powers of the president. They simply hate Yeltsin and his American protectors. As a result, events could take an unexpected turn.