The Duma chairman said the action had little prospect of success while Yeltsin‘s representative in the chamber suggested the whole initiative was a mere trick by the opposition. Communists and their allies moved charges against Yeltsin earlier this month, condemning the Kremlin leader for his role in the dismantling of the Soviet Union seven years ago and for using military force in 1993 to dissolve a parliament elected in the Soviet era. The opposition believes their charges are well backed to demand Yeltsin‘s impeachment, something the commission has yet to establish. Given that Communists and their two allied groups hold seven votes in the commission and that the liberal opposition party Yabloko has announced plans to back the impeachment with its two votes, there is little doubt that the commission will get a simple majority to back the charges. Even if the Duma gets the needed 300 votes, the bill must be authorised by the Constitutional Court and the Supreme Court and backed by three quarters of votes in the Federation Council upper house, which is traditionally loyal to Yeltsin. Shortly before Friday‘s debate a dozen coal miners protesting against unpaid wages broke into the Duma and banged their helmets against the floor and walls demanding Yeltsin‘s resignation. Yeltsin‘s representative in the Duma, Alexander Kotenkov, appeared unimpressed by the Duma motion.