Twenty years ago, a small group of Russian businessmen saved the country from a return to communism. Boris Yeltsin, physically and politically weak, was close to being beaten in the presidential election by Gennady Zyuganov. In the first ballot, Yeltsin led by just 3 per cent. The money and organisation the oligarchs brought to the party put him more than 13 points ahead in the second and decisive vote. Now, in very different circumstances, the oligarchs may need to intervene again.
20年前,一小群俄羅斯商人拯救了這個國家,使之避免回到共產黨統治。在總統選舉中,身體和政治上虛弱的鮑里斯?葉利欽(Boris Yeltsin)差點被根納季?久加諾夫(Gennady Zyuganov,俄羅斯聯邦共產黨領導人——譯者注)打敗。在第一輪投票中,葉利欽領先3個百分點。在第二輪決定性的投票中,寡頭們提供的資金和組織使他領先了逾13個百分點。如今,在非常不同的時代背景下,寡頭們或許需要再次干預。