Yeltsin Accepts Resignation of Moscow’s Mayor
MOSCOW — Russian President Boris N. Yeltsin on Saturday accepted the resignation of Moscow’s reformist mayor, Gavriil Popov, news reports said.
Yeltsin appointed Vice Mayor Yuri Luzhkov to take over Popov’s duties until new elections can be held. City law requires a vote within three months.
The newspaper Nezavisimaya Gazeta quoted Popov’s aide, Vasily Shakhnovsky, as saying the mayor resigned Friday because he lacked support from Yeltsin and the Russian government.
“Popov thinks it is impossible to implement his political and economic concept in the current situation,” Shakhnovsky was quoted as saying.
The 56-year-old former economics professor, a staunch but oft-thwarted supporter of privatization, had been criticized increasingly for his economic plans and food shortages in the city of 9 million.
The criticism arose again Saturday as the city government lifted price controls for milk and bread, causing their prices to soar as much as 300%.
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