Support for Zhirinovsky bodes ill for Russia, West; see Viewpoint on A17.In another strong signal of a shift against economic reform after the Russian elections, Prime Minister Viktor Cher-no-myr-din was quoted Saturday as scathingly accusing Westernized reformers in his own Cabinet of "poorly thought-out experiments" and a failure "to think about the people, for the sake of whom the reforms were started."
Chernomyrdin said the government would now focus less on tight monetary and spending controls, which would reduce Russia's high rate of inflation, and more on social protection and on state and private investment to create jobs.Russian voters stunned their leaders a week ago by voting in substantial numbers for the ultranationalist politician Vladimir Zhirinovsky and for the Communist and Agrarian parties. Expectations that pro-reform parties led by government ministers would win a majority in the lower house of parliament were dashed, and Zhirinovsky will end up with the second-biggest bloc of seats there.
Speaking to the trade-union newspaper Trud, Chernomyrdin blamed his reformist colleagues for the election results.
"We should face the truth and admit that many people voted not so much for a particular platform or party as against the hardships and mistakes of the current reforms," the prime minister said. "As many as 35 million Russians live below the poverty line, which means that some 30 percent of the electorate were potentially `against.' "
"Naturally," Chernomyrdin continued, "any `shock' methods must be precluded in the future."
That reference was to the economic policies of Yegor T. Gaidar, who is the first deputy prime minister and the leader of the reformist party Russia's Choice. He is also Chernomyrdin's predecessor, having been forced out of government a year ago by the old parliament.
Gaidar is considered the chief of the government's Westernized reformers, including Privatization Minister Anatoly B. Chubais and Finance Minister Boris G. Fyodorov, who are pressing for stepped-up reform as the best response to the economic misery felt by voters.
"The election defeat is a personal evaluation of Gaidar's work, but not as a representative of the whole government, but as the person responsible for the Economy Ministry," Chernomyrdin said. "The same goes for Chubais. It's his personal defeat. So they should think it over hard. They have a lot to think about now."
In essence, Chernomyrdin seemed to be suggesting that Gaidar and Chubais resign.
No politician in Russia is against "reform." Even Zhirinovsky professes to favor it. But when Chernomyrdin talks of reform, he has in mind a much slower, statist policy than Gaidar or the International Monetary Fund does.
Chernomyrdin spoke Saturday, as he usually does, of increasing Russian industrial production as the highest priority. The Westernized economists stress the need to reduce the monthly inflation rate of 15 percent, which makes it difficult for Russia to secure private investment or restructure its industries.
Government figures indicate that Russian industrial production has stopped falling, although many factories are limping along on government subsidies and delays in paying debts they owe to one another.