They Could Have Led Russia

Who Ran for President from 1991 to 2000 (Part 1)

In the sweeping, chaotic aftermath of the Soviet collapse, Russia was not simply rebuilding a country, it was redefining the very idea of governance. While Boris Yeltsin has come to personify the Russian 1990s in the popular imagination, the reality is far more complex. Between 1991 and 2000, over twenty individuals aspired to the presidency, each reflecting a different vision of Russia’s uncertain future. Some faded into obscurity; others became fixtures in public life or symbols of an era that continues to haunt the present.

This multipart series revisits the cast of contenders who shaped — or failed to shape — the post-Soviet Russian presidency.

Part 1 takes us back to 1991, a year that marked both the beginning of electoral democracy in Russia and the final breaths of the USSR.

Dear Readers and Subscribers,

Let us recall who they were:

PART 1: 1991

The first Russian elections took place in 1991. The USSR still existed, and they were electing the president of the largest of the Soviet republics: the RSFSR (Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic). The presidential term at that time was five years, and along with the president, as in the USA, the vice president was also elected.