Soviet Union: That Rejected Feeling

Government leaders in democracies are accustomed to having their appointments challenged in the legislative branch, but the experience was a shock for Soviet Prime Minister Nikolai Ryzhkov. The country’s new 542-member Supreme Soviet rejected six of Ryzhkov’s 69 nominees to ministerial-level jobs. The – casualties included Culture Minister Vasili Zakharov and Vladimir Gribov, designated head of the central bank.

Most of the nominees were rejected on the grounds that they lacked qualifications. Last week Ryzhkov, who had vowed to fight for his nominees, thought better of it. “I could not see any substantial proof that would enable me to defend them,” he admitted. “They simply did not meet demands in one area or another.”