WEBVTT

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There is an old saying: "The world
is so great, that there is nothing
that has not happened before." Yet
again there are exceptions.

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Even though Russia is great,
she has never had a President.

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There have been tsars,
autocratic Party secretaries,

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but never a President.
And so the time has come,

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the need has matured
to have a President.

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Today at the Fourth Congress of People's
Deputies of the Russian Federation,

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a law on the "President of the
Russian Federation" and scheduling
an upcoming election was passed.

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The speech of the Chair of the
Legislative Committee of the
Russian Federation Sergei Shakhrai.

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"This is a law about the President
of the Russian Federation.

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The President is the head
of the executive branch.

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Two restrictions apply to
those who occupy this position.

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First, during his term in power,
the President must cease

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his participation in any political
parties or social movements.

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Second, throughout his tenure,
the President is not permitted

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to occupy any other positions
in state or social organizations.

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I shall briefly discuss
the first proposition,

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since it is likely to
inspire heated discussions.

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I believe that the discussion
will be centered on the fact that
in no developed western democracy

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are there rules demanding
that the President withdraw

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from any political
organizations during his term.

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To this I will answer that we
need to work for a long time

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before we can reach the level
of developed democracies.

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Not in a single one of
these civilized countries

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have there been decades
of single-party dictatorship."

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Kazarov: A blood group unknown
to us has appeared in the
capitalization of society.

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Today voting for a law
instituting the presidency,

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a law about Eltsin as a President
means voting for capitalism.

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No one is trying to hide this.

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Khasbulatov: You're done, you're done.

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Kazarov: We all know the ten-minute rule,
it has been changed during the proceedings.

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Khasbulatov: Switch off the microphone.
Oleg Vladimirovich, take your seat.

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Eltsin: Citizens of the Russian Federation,

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I swear that in my work as the President

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of the Russian Soviet
Federal Socialist Republic

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I will observe the constitution 
and laws of the Russian Federation.