Christopher Weighs In on Russia
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WASHINGTON — Secretary of State Warren Christopher on Wednesday urged the reform parties of Russia to take a page out of American politics and unite so they can defeat the Communists in the presidential election in June.
Christopher told a news conference that the U.S. experience shows how a two-party system can produce parties able to pull somewhat divergent forces together.
“We’ve seen the two [U.S.] parties erecting a good-sized tent and resolving differences in a way that produced a candidate who can lead in a particular direction,” he said.
The Communist Party finished first in Sunday’s elections for the Duma, the lower house of Russia’s parliament, according to preliminary returns.
But three reform parties would have finished just ahead of the Communists if they had run as a single party.
The Clinton administration has indicated that it supports the reelection of President Boris N. Yeltsin if he is healthy enough to run. Yeltsin has been recovering from a heart ailment.
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