08/ian/2010 Detalii despre transferul puterii Elţîn – Putin (decembrie 1999) şi moştenirea politică a primului preşedinte al Rusiei

Într-un interviu luat de agenţia rusă RIA Novosti, soţia fostului preşedinte rus Boris Elţîn aminteşte detalii (majoritatea de atmosferă) despre ziua de 31 decembrie 1999, cînd Elţîn a pasat ştafeta prezidenţială alesului său de atunci, Vladimir Putin şi despre unele dintre personajele politice cu care Elţîn a colaborat (precum recent-dispărutul Egor Gaidar, despre care EURAST a mai scris aici).

 

Naina Yeltsin: January 1, 2000 turned a new leaf for us

© RIA Novosti. Dmitry Donskoy

31/12/2009

Ten years ago, on December 31, 1999, Boris Yeltsin, the first president of Russia, resigned, relegating his post to Vladimir Putin who was his prime minister. He announced his decision to the public during a televised address at noon on December 31. Boris Yeltsin’s widow, Naina Yeltsin, agreed to share her recollections of that day with RIA Novosti, describing how the first Russian president arrived at the decision and how the family spent that day.

Question: How did you and Mr Yeltsin celebrate the New Year in 2000? Was it a family gathering? Who came to the party and who called that day? What was the atmosphere like at home? Was Mr Yeltsin sad or relieved and happy? Did you stay up long that night?

Naina Yeltsin: We spent it the usual way. All the family gathered at a big table. On the other hand, it was a special New Year. It felt as if we all were relieved from a heavy burden which had been pressing us for years. We were telling jokes, having fun and making plans. We knew that we belonged to ourselves again. It was an amazing feeling. Boris was making jokes and smiling a lot. He was happy because he knew he had completed a great and important mission.

It is our family tradition to “see the New Year in” twice – first at 10 o’clock by Yekaterinburg time, and then at midnight by Moscow time. We turned on the TV. The traditional presidential address at 11:55 was made by Vladimir Putin, not Boris. Putin talked to the nation from the Kremlin sitting near the Christmas tree. As usual, we went to bed around 2:00 in the morning. The next morning there was no rush. And the morning after that as well. A new life began for us all; we were so very happy.

– text integral în format word doc. : interviu – Naina Eltin – dec 09

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