Russia finally has a new Prime Minister. Its parliament, threatened with dissolution, remains intact and there is time for the bitterness engendered by the recent crisis to dissolve. Despite the venality which undoubtedly played a part in the debates and the votes on Mr Sergei Kiriyenko's nomination, yesterday's result gives Russia a chance to move towards political stability. Dissolution followed by a three-month period of untrammelled rule by Mr Yeltsin has been avoided. But there are many important questions to be answered. The crucial part played by the right-wing extremist, Mr Vladimir Zhirinovsky, in Mr Kiriyenko's election raises obvious suspicions. There have been strong rumours in the past that he has accepted money for his party's votes and yesterday the liberal leader, Mr Grigory Yavlinsky, openly accused him of accepting such bribes.
Mr Zhirinovsky didn't deny the charge but accused Mr Yavlinsky of being in the pay of "American imperialists." There is certainly a whiff of corruption about Mr Zhirinovsky's behaviour. His outspoken, racist, anti-semitic and anti-market statements would appear to put him at the opposite political pole to Mr Kiriyenko who is a young, wealthy businessman of Jewish origin. Yet Mr Zhirinovsky and his deputies voted en-bloc for the new premier.
The crisis which ended in the Duma's vote to endorse Mr Kiriyenko need not have happened in the first place. Mr Yeltsin's precipitate sacking of his entire cabinet including the plodding but trustworthy Prime Minister, Mr Viktor Chernomyrdin, stunned Russia and its potential friends at a time when the country was edging towards political and economic stability. Coming as it did after yet another of Mr Yeltsin's bouts of illness, the move further undermined confidence in Russia and its struggling economy.
Mr Kiriyenko now has the opportunity to restore that confidence. His qualities as a political leader are unknown and those familiar with President Yeltsin's personnel choices in the past have every reason to be cautious. Mr Yeltsin, it will be remembered, selected Gen Alexander Rutskoy as his vice-president and Mr Ruslan Khasbulatov as his parliamentary speaker but eventually had to remove both of them from power by having the army shell the Russian parliament building.
Gen Alexander Korzhakov, once Mr Yeltsin's closest confidant, has become one of his most bitter enemies as has Gen Alexander Lebed who finally put an end to the disastrous war in Chechnya. Only Mr Chernomyrdin, imposed as Prime Minister on Mr Yeltsin by parliament, lasted any length of time in office. Backed by an erratic President and supported under duress by 251 of the Duma's 450 members, Mr Kiriyenko will have every reason to be cautious about his prospects.