Soviet Union Kissing Hands, Shaking Babies

Boris Yeltsin insisted that he was only going to the Arctic region of Murmansk on a "business trip" last week, but he certainly looked and acted like a man running for office. The Russian populist donned a white coat to inspect a high-tech laboratory, reviewed black-uniformed columns of sailors and promised the crew of the nuclear missile cruiser Kirov that he would do everything possible to improve their living conditions. Meanwhile, former Prime Minister Nikolai Ryzhkov toured the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk, lending a sympathetic ear to the problems of defense workers at a chemical factory. Back in Moscow Kremlin adviser Vadim Bakatin talked to cossack leaders about what he called his "common sense" politics.

Welcome to the Russian presidential campaign, which got off to a breathless and stumbling start last week -- and with good reason. The Congress of People's Deputies approved the Yeltsin-sponsored plan to create a strong executive office only two weeks ago, and the election, in which more than 100 million Russians are eligible to vote, will be held on June 12. That leaves little time for the six registered candidates to do anything but go through the motions of a campaign. In fact, the three "unknowns" in the race -- Vladimir Zhirinovsky, Albert Makashov and Aman-geldy Tuleyev -- tried without success to get the vote postponed until the fall. But such problems in no way diminished the fact that for the first time in history, Russians will be able to choose their leader in a democratic ballot.

There are no flashy campaign posters, no sound trucks blaring out slogans. Nor is there likely to be much Western-style razzle-dazzle, given a severe paper shortage and the miserly sum of 200,000 rubles that authorities have granted each candidate. The closest thing to television ads was endorsements tucked away in evening news reports. The Russian news show, Vesti, for example, showed a Muslim cleric from the North Caucasus announcing that his people were "praying to the Almighty" for a Yeltsin victory.

The candidates, in fact, could have learned a lesson or two from the old pro, Mikhail Gorbachev. Even though he is not running for anything, the Soviet President managed to capture the limelight during a visit to Kazakhstan last week, where he donned a sporty cap to pose for cameras in a wheat field. Though Gorbachev has made fresh peace with Yeltsin, he has refused to endorse any candidate in the race.

Yeltsin would seem to be a shoo-in for the Russian presidency. Opinion polls consistently give him more than 50% of the vote. He also enjoys the advantages of the incumbent in his post as chairman of the Russian parliament. Campaign manager Gennadi Burbulis intends to exploit Yeltsin's position by depicting him constantly on the job, meeting with local leaders across Russia. Yeltsin's campaign slogan may not be very catchy, but the emphasis is on substance: "Russians, Unite in Realizing in Practice the Radical Reform of Russian Life."