MOSCOW: The attempt ten years ago to create the first democratically elected parliament in the USSR proved to be the most unpredictable of Gorbachev's reforms; the domestic equivalent, indeed, of his decision to allow Eastern Europe to break with communism. Gorbachev's other domestic reforms dealt with economic and cultural problems, even alcohol abuse; here was a bid to reform the system of power. Like much else about perestroika, it foundered on a lack of clear goals.
MOSCOW: The attempt ten years ago to create the first democratically elected parliament in the USSR proved to be the most unpredictable of Gorbachev's reforms; the domestic equivalent, indeed, of his decision to allow Eastern Europe to break with communism. Gorbachev's other domestic reforms dealt with economic and cultural problems, even alcohol abuse; here was a bid to reform the system of power. Like much else about perestroika, it foundered on a lack of clear goals.