The first inauguration of Boris Yeltsin as

president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

of the

Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic The Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (Russian SFSR or RSFSR), previously known as the Russian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic and the Russian Soviet Republic, and unofficially as Soviet Russia,Declaration of Rights of the labo ...

(RSFSR) took place on Wednesday, 10 July 1991. The ceremony was held at the

State Kremlin Palace The State Kremlin Palace (), previously and unofficially known as the Kremlin Palace of Congresses (Кремлёвский дворец съездов), is a large modern building inside the Moscow Kremlin. History The building was built at th ...

and it lasted about thirty minutes. It was the first presidential inauguration ceremony in the

history of Russia The history of Russia begins with the histories of the East Slavs. The traditional start date of specifically Russian history is the establishment of the Rus' people, Rus' state in the north in the year 862, ruled by Varangians. In 882, Prin ...

Background

As a result of a nationwide referendum on the introduction of the office of president of the RSFSR, the first presidential election was held on 12 June 1991.

Boris Yeltsin Boris Nikolayevich Yeltsin (1 February 1931 – 23 April 2007) was a Soviet and Russian politician and statesman who served as President of Russia from 1991 to 1999. He was a member of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) from 1961 to ...

won the elections, gaining more than 58 percent of the vote.

Inaugural events

Yeltsin took an oath in front of a podium displaying the Constitution of the RSFSR and that of the Soviet Union, as well as the Declaration of State Sovereignty of Russia. After taking the oath, the Russian anthem was performed. Speeches were given by

Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia The Patriarch of Moscow and all Rus (), also known as the Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia, is the title of the primate of the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC). It is often preceded by the honorific "His Holiness". As the ordinary of the diocese ...

Alexy II, President Yeltsin, and

President of the Soviet Union The president of the Soviet Union (), officially the president of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (), abbreviated as president of the USSR (), was the executive head of state of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics from 15 March ...

Mikhail Gorbachev Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev (2 March 1931 – 30 August 2022) was a Soviet and Russian politician who served as the last leader of the Soviet Union from 1985 to dissolution of the Soviet Union, the country's dissolution in 1991. He served a ...

.All the inauguration of Russian presidents
/ref> In contrast to the American tradition, Vice President

Alexander Rutskoy Alexander Vladimirovich Rutskoy (; born 16 September 1947) is a Russian politician and former Soviet military officer who served as the only vice president of Russia from 1991 to 1993. He was proclaimed acting president following Boris Yeltsin' ...

, who was elected alongside Yeltsin, did not bring an oath, but was present at the ceremony as a guest.

Oath

The following oath was read by Yeltsin (his right hand over his chest) at his inauguration:

References

{{Russian presidential inaugurations Politics of Russia Yeltsin 1 Boris Yeltsin 1991 in Russia 1991 in Moscow