Yeltsin does the twist as Zyuganov blames him for violence

IN THE shadow of St Basil's Cathedral, the rock music was being pumped out in support of President Boris Yeltsin, who has taken to dancing the twist at his recent political engagements. About 30,000 turned out, although the state controlled TV estimated the attendance at 10 times that.

Meanwhile, out in the suburbs at the Progress Cinema a loudspeaker blared marches from the Soviet era as the crowds gathered to greet the communist candidate, Mr Gennady Zyuganov.

There was a marked contrast in style between the rallies of the "two leading contenders. Mr Yeltsin's supporters at the concert included almost all of Russia's best known rock bands and some literary figures led by the satiric novelist, Vladimir Voinovich.

Mr Voinovich's presence at the pre Yeltsin rally was symptomatic of the move towards Yeltsin among some Russian democrats.

Earlier this year, his signature was at the top of a list of leading" intellectuals who wrote to the newspaper Izvestia condemning the president for his actions in Chechnya. But now that the alternative appears to be a return to Communism, he has moved into the Yeltsin camp.

There were no rock stars at the Progress Cinema. There were some old ladies bearing posters which proclaimed, "God save Russia from Yeltsin," a few Russian Orthodox priests stifling in their long black robes and many youngsters wearing Zyuganov Tshirts.

At the back of everyone's mind, whether they listened to the rock bands or to the Soviet marches, was the bomb on the Moscow metro the previous night which killed four people and injured I including a four year old girl.

Not surprisingly, each side blamed the other for the outrage. "Mr Yeltsin called it a barbaric act by those who wanted to prevent him from being elected. Mr Zyuganov, in his deep Russian bass voice, said it was a criminal act in a country in which, under Mr Yeltsin's rule, criminality had become rampant.

The city's Mayor, Mr Yuri Luzhkov, was one of the first on the scene on Tuesday night and hinted at a political reason for the blast.

Most Russians I spoke to, however, blamed the "Chyorni" (blacks) for the bomb. The word is used as a term of deprecation for natives of the Caucasus, which includes Chechnya.

In the host sunshine, Muscovites were also treated to the spectacle of the right wing in candidate, Mr Vladimir Zhirinovsky, marching down Tverskaya Street wearing an almost phosphorescent yellow jacket specially commissioned from dress designer Slava Zaitsev, "and sheltering from the sun under a blue umbrella bearing the 12 stars of the European Union.

"Millions will vote for me," he said. Some believed him.