Split in communist camp widens

Following Gennady Seleznev, who preferred to remain at the post of State Duma speaker, for leaders of State Duma committees ignored the Communist Party’s directives and kept the posts for themselves. Today, the Duma refused to discharge Nikolai Gobenko (Committee on Culture and Tourism), Viktor Zorkaltsev (Committee on Public Associations and Religious Organizations), Valentin Nikitin (Committee on Nationalities), and Svetlana Goryacheva (Committee on Women, Family, and Youth).

They, in their turn, said that they do not intend to leave their posts. Vitaly Sevastyanov also agreed with the will of the parliamentarians who kept for him the post of the credential committee’s chairman.

According to deputy Goryacheva, she was elected by the people, so she intends to execute the will of the electorate; in other words, she does not want to be implicated in the committee’s annihilation. Goryacheva was supported by Gubenko, Zorkaltsev, Nikitin, and Sevastyanov, who also remembered their duties and that the party’s directives reflect exclusively the will of the party.

It should be recalled, that, after the April redistribution of the State Duma committees, the Central Committee’s plenary session and party leader Gennady Zyuganov personally announced that, in such a situation, the left-wing forces would completely refuse any leading posts in the State Duma.

After yesterday’s betrayel of the leaders of the State Duma committees of the CPRF, Gennady Zyuganov said to journalists that, already this Sunday, the faction could consider the question of exclusion of these communists from the party. According to Zyuganov, Goryacheva and other communist deputies have exchanged their membership cards for chairs in the committees, so there is no place for them in the party. The party’s leader is sure of other party members being of the same position.

So, let's wait till Sunday. Apropos, State Duma speaker Gennady Seleznev supposes that the House’s decision on candidacies of KPRF deputies was correct.

Sergei Yugov PRAVDA.Ru

Translated by Vera Solovieva

Read the original in Russian: http://www.pravda.ru/main/2002/05/22/41567.html