Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev, responding to charges that he has no plan to rescue the nation from political anarchy and economic chaos, on Saturday proposed a new law-and-order government that would grant him sweeping executive powers.
The Supreme Soviet, or parliament, voted 316-19 to approve in principle a government with Gorbachev in executive control, eclipsing the apparatus led by Prime Minister Nikolai Ryzhkov.
In an unscheduled speech in parliament, Gorbachev offered to elevate leaders from each Soviet republic, disband a Presidential Council of advisers, create instead a national security council and empower a new anti-crime unit under his direct control.
It was unclear whether Ryzhkov, who heads the Council of Ministers and sits on the Presidential Council, will remain in power. Gorbachev did not mention the prime minister in his speech and Ryzhkov, whose resignation has repeatedly been demanded by radical reformers, told reporters he was informed of the plan only a few minutes before it was unveiled.
Although Gorbachev`s agreement to reorganize the government was seen as a concession to secessionist Soviet republics, the plan gives even greater authority to the man who earlier pledged to bring economic reform through democracy and decentralization.
”I propose carrying out an urgent fundamental reorganization of executive power in the (central government) by subordinating it to the president-directly to the president,” Gorbachev said.
Radical members of the Supreme Soviet are wary of granting sweeping powers even to Gorbachev, recipient of the 1990 Nobel Peace Prize, and were disturbed by a plan to station a new force of deputies across the Soviet Union to enforce presidential decrees.
But Gorbachev`s strong response to what he termed ”a crisis of power”
was praised by other legislators who reflected the country`s historic yearning for stability, resoluteness and discipline.
Scientist Alexander Zhuravlev said, ”This is the first time I heard a speech befitting a president.” And factory director Grigory Podberezsky added: ”Such powers are needed so that people not only obey you, but also fear you.”
Gorbachev`s speech, during the second day of an emergency session of Parliament, sought to appease representatives of independence-minded republics even as it proposed that Gorbachev be given direct control over the entire national government.
The peace offering to radical regional leaders was that a Federation Council with members from each of the 15 republics become a powerful advisory board ”to coordinate efforts between the center and the republics,”
Gorbachev said.
That appeared to be a direct response to a demand by Russian Republic President Boris Yeltsin that upstaged Gorbachev`s lackluster address at Friday`s opening of the emergency session.
Yeltsin called on the government to resign and be replaced by an
”extraordinary anti-crisis committee” guided by leaders from the republics.
All but one of the 15 republics has declared some form of sovereignty, throwing the national economy into disarray with conflicting laws and contradictory plans for economic recovery.
”There has been a war of laws waged by state bodies of the union and the constituent republics,” said Anatoly Lukyanov, chairman of the Supreme Soviet and a Gorbachev ally. ”There has been veritable lawlessness and disaster.”
The Federation Council was created eight months ago to advise Gorbachev on union matters, but has rarely met and has not made a single noteworthy decision.
To emphasize his commitment to elevate the Federation Council, Gorbachev pledged to disband his Presidential Council, which has become the real seat of power as the once-mighty Communist Party Politburo sank into insignificance.
It appeared likely that other senior government leaders-like Foreign Minister Eduard Shevardnadze, Defense Minister Dmitri Yazov and Vladimir Kryuchkov, chief of the KGB security police-will report to the president as members of a new national security council.
Gorbachev also proposed forming a new supervisory board ”to ensure that laws, decrees and decisions are implemented throughout the country.” He also said he will station deputies to enforce his rulings from Moscow.
Emphasizing ”the need to tighten law and order,” Gorbachev proposed a new body to coordinate the activity of law-enforcement organizations-including the KGB, the Interior Ministry and border troops-”within the framework of presidential rule.”
And he advocated a special police squad under his control ”to combat organized crime, the shadow economy, profiteering and other manifestations of criminal activity that has swept the country.”
A new post of vice president would, in addition, be created under the Gorbachev plan.
”The proposed measures aim to accomplish our strategic tasks and carry on democratic transformations in the country,” Gorbachev said. ”I appeal to the citizens of all of the 15 republics to support this program of practical measures.”
A detailed proposal is to be presented to the Supreme Soviet next Friday, after Gorbachev returns from a state visit to Italy Sunday and a 34-nation summit Monday in Paris for the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe.
Gorbachev already had the power to issue presidential decrees to quell ethnic violence and speed economic reform, but the plan to be presented in full next Friday goes further.
”The last word will be the president`s,” explained Georgy Shakhnazarov, a Gorbachev adviser. ”But most, if not all (decisions) will be taken on the basis of agreement with the Federation Council.”
Even members of parliament who supported the plan for governmental reorganization were angered that Gorbachev took so long to seize the initiative from the restive republics.
”The credit of confidence in the president has been exhausted in the country,” said Viktor Alksnis, a serviceman from Latvia. ”If nothing changes radically during the next 30 days, the Congress of People`s Deputies will discuss the problem of the president himself.”
The Congress of People`s Deputies, which meets twice a year to set a broad national agenda for action by the Supreme Soviet, convenes Dec. 17.
Others feared that granting Gorbachev even more sweeping powers will make Parliament ”a decorative authority,” in the words of David Kugultinov, an author and legislator.
In fact, the emergency session was the idea of legislators who ordered Gorbachev to deliver a first-ever state-of-the-union address on Friday. The session was an attempt to recapture prestige for the Parliament, which lost respect due to its own disorganization and to Gorbachev`s growing presidential power.
