Translated material
Moral Code of the Builders of Communism
Deputies of the Communist Party faction in the State Duma refused to honor the memory of the first president of Russia
Yesterday's plenary session of the State Duma began with a minute of silence on the occasion of the death of the first President of Russia Boris Yeltsin. And this moment was not without scandal. Even in the face of eternity, the deputies of the Communist Party faction did not forget about their ideological contradictions with the first head of the Russian state. They refused to rise from their seats and honor the memory of their political opponent.“Today, April 25, has been declared a day of mourning in connection with the death of Boris Yeltsin. I ask you to honor his memory,” the first vice-speaker of the State Duma, Oleg Morozov, opened the plenary session with these words. However, the communists remained seated. They also refused to take part in Boris Yeltsin's funeral ceremony.
Gennady Zyuganov, the head of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation faction, who lost the presidential election to Boris Yeltsin in 1996, and is now on a trip to Latin America, commented on the death of the first president of Russia as follows: “I, as a truly patriotic person who knows the canons of Russian life and Orthodoxy, would abstain today from comments on his actions. I don’t have any good words about his policies, but I don’t want to say bad things.”
However, even this relative correctness of the leader was not accepted by his faction colleagues. The communists recalled that they hold Yeltsin responsible for the collapse of the Soviet Union and the decline in living standards of the country's residents during the economic reforms of the 1990s. Things have gone to extremes - communist deputy Mikhail Zapolev proposed to “drive an aspen stake” into the grave of the first president of Russia, who, as is known, was the initiator of the ban on the CPSU. Despite the fact that it was the Communist Party of the Russian Federation that Mr. Yeltsin not only did not prohibit, but also allowed it to conduct a full-fledged political struggle against his power, which the Communists themselves never allowed their opponents during the years of their rule.
“Let's be not only politicians, but also people. Let’s not blaspheme in this hall today,” Oleg Morozov called on the communists. And he invited them to make such statements at rallies, and not in the State Duma building, especially on the day of the funeral. “Everyone acts as his conscience tells him,” concluded Mr. Morozov.
Communist Pyotr Romanov said that the Communist Party faction at the moment is much more concerned about the fate of the law “On the Banner of Victory.” “This is what we mourn about - the fate of the people,” said the deputy.
Vice-speaker of the LDPR faction Vladimir Zhirinovsky, in response to the behavior of the communists, said: “They are here thanks to the Constitution that Yeltsin created. The head of state has died. An entire era is passing. This is indecent." He invited the communists to immediately surrender their parliamentary mandates. However, Oleg Morozov did not put this proposal to a vote, but instead again called on his colleagues to behave decently. “Let’s not stir up this topic on this day of national mourning,” the first vice speaker addressed the deputies.
Nevertheless, Mr. Zhirinovsky submitted to the discussion of deputies a proposal to give each faction the opportunity to make a statement regarding the death of the first head of state. However, only 35 deputies supported this idea.
Then the deputies made a change to the chamber's working order. Yesterday they interrupted the meeting to attend Yeltsin's funeral ceremony. From 12.00 to 14.00, the entire leadership of the chamber, headed by Boris Gryzlov, and many deputies went by bus to the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, and from there to the Novodevichy cemetery. The Communists pointedly refused to take part in the ceremony. “We will not go, this is our principled position. So that we give honor to the destroyer of the fatherland - never!” - said deputy of the Communist Party faction Viktor Ilyukhin.