Yeltsin Decrees "Special Rule"

"THE CONGRESS REFUSED TO LISTEN to the voice of the country." In defiance of a conservative legislature that had steadily diminished his powers, Boris Yeltsin declared a "special order of rule" in a nationwide broadcast Saturday night. He announced that a referendum would be held April 25, in which Russians, weary of endless political infighting, would be asked whether they have confidence in him and whether they approve a new constitution. Yeltsin warned that the meeting of Congress two weeks ago was a rehearsal for "the restoration of power of the communist nomenklatura." Yeltsin's move drew immediate criticism from some prominent figures, notably Vice President Alexander Rutskoi.

Yeltsin did not dissolve the Congress or the Supreme Soviet, but pronounced illegal any legislation they might adopt in contravention of his special-rule decrees. Since his opponents will no doubt fight back, the weeks until April 25 may well decide Russia's fate for years to come. (See related story on page 20.)