Is Russia ready for the House of Yeltsin?


In their quest to re-establish a constitutional monarchy in Russia, the Party of the Majority is focusing on the pudgy expatriate Georgy Romanov, but they would be willing to settle for someone less pedigreed -- like the president.


At a press conference this week, the fledgling party announced that it had gathered 500,000 signatures on a petition demanding the return of a monarchy, half what is needed to declare a national referendum on the issue. Of course, Yeltsin would have to approve the vote -- but one party member suggested they might repay the president by crowning him Tsar Boris II.


"Some people have brought up the idea of crowning Yeltsin. I would not oppose that," said Vice Chairman Felix Emelin in discussion.


Other party representatives, including Chairman Vyacheslav Grechev, were less enthusiastic about the Tsar Boris proposal, but all agreed picking a monarch and court is not their main order of business. That decision will fall to the "Zemsky Sobor," an assembly of noblemen and senior Orthodox clergy, who will work out dicey issues such as Georgy's mother's religious beliefs and Georgy's Russian grammar.


First, the party is working on reversing the 1917 "overthrow" through legislative means, and restoring the monarchy to Russia over the course of four years .


Meanwhile, they are under little immediate pressure to size their candidate for coronation clothes.


"The problem of the person is not the main problem," said Sergei Makeyev, a party spokesman, who himself did not support crowning Yeltsin. "We will see about Prince George. And then, God knows."