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Excerpt from "The Second Rise" by Igor Diakonov (c) 1999
The most obvious point of determination for the second rise of the USSR that we are witnessing in the present can be found in the presidential election of 1996 and its victor and our current president, Gennady Zyuganov. Yelstin was obviously a weak candidate going into the election, his own ailing health combined with a weak economy, increasing violence, and a rapidly growing wealth divide. The elderly in particular had already began to look back nostalgically at the stability of the Soviet era. This combined with a very strong campaign run by Zyuganov lead to a tight finish in the first round, with Zyuganov trailing Yelstin 32%-35%.
Yelstin immediately turned to Lebed who had finished third in the election with 14% of the popular vote, offering him the position of Secretary of the Security Council in exchange for his endorsement. Lebed then proceeded to stun the country and the world when he delivered his famous response in which he condemned Yeltsin and the new Russian political system, claiming it was a "farce democracy" with no real choice for the people and at least the USSR had been open about its non-democratic ways, rather then hiding them. He then proceeded to call on his supporters to vote for "None of the Above," an option in the second round.
The result was an incredibly close race, with both Zyuganov and Yelstin campaigning non-stop for days. July 1st, however, would prove to be the most definitive day of the election. Yelstin hadn't slept in over 24 hours and had just begun a speech in Moscow to supporters when he suddenly collapsed on the stage. Although he would recover only hours later and the collapse was attributed to fatigue, Zyuganov hammered home a message of an ill and incapable Yelstin which resonated among the many voters seeking stability.
Of course two days later the second round was held with its famous 46%-42% victory for Zyuganov with almost 12% casting their ballot for none of the above...