Yeltsin has congratulated Murtaza Rakhimov on his victory in the 14 June presidential election in Bashkortostan, ITAR-TASS reported on 16 June. A telegram from Yeltsin said Bashkortostan's voters demonstrated that ``they tie their hopes for the well-being of the republic with your political leadership. The latest elections are convincing evidence that the republic's population supports the economic strategy and reforms that are being carried out''.

Rakhimov has been a loyal ally of Yeltsin and is believed to have helped Yeltsin substantially improve his showing in Bashkortostan during the 1996 presidential election. In the first round of that election, Yeltsin trailed Communist candidate Gennadii Zyuganov in the republic by 42 percent to 34 percent. However, in the second round, Yeltsin gained 51 percent of the vote in Bashkortostan to 43 percent for Zyuganov. LB

Commenting on the presidential election in Bashkortostan, some Russian media and politicians noted that voters had no genuine alternative to Rakhimov, as the incumbent's opponents were excluded from the ballot (see ``RFE/RL Newsline'', 15 June 1998). Russia's Democratic Choice leader Yegor Gaidar on 15 June denounced the election as an ``anti-constitutional farce'', RFE/RL's Moscow bureau reported. ``Kommersant-Daily'' on 16 June quoted unnamed sources from Rakhimov's campaign as saying the incumbent did not want to tarnish his image as an unchallenged leader by competing against opponents such as Duma deputy Aleksandr Arinin. Meanwhile, Federation Council Speaker Yegor Stroev welcomed Rakhimov's victory on 15 June. Stroev was re-elected last October as governor of Orel Oblast with some 95 percent of the vote. As in Bashkortostan, the only alternative candidate on the ballot in Orel spoke out in favor of the incumbent. LB

16 июня 1998г. Радио ``Свобда'' / ``Свободная Европа'' --- Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty