51.   Republicans had asked Senate Majority Leader Thomas Daschle for a floor vote on whether Supreme Court nominees would be guaranteed confirmation votes.

52.   Senate hearings are expected next month with a confirmation vote to follow.

53.   That action could set up final confirmation votes on Thursday.

54.   The amendments, stripping down the archaic provincial government and freeing the premier from confirmation votes in the legislature, were a major victory for Lee.

55.   The board is scheduled to come up for a confirmation vote in parliament Wednesday.

56.   The Duma is expected to hold a confirmation vote on Kiriyenko on Friday, the day after a nationwide labor protest called to vent popular anger at economic reforms.

57.   The Duma is scheduled to hold the first of three possible confirmation votes on his candidacy on Wednesday.

58.   The Communists backed the step in an effort to tighten party discipline during the confirmation vote, scheduled for Friday.

59.   The confirmation votes on Theodore Olson to be solicitor general and Larry Thompson to be deputy attorney general were put off last week because of the dispute.

60.   The Duma will hold its first confirmation vote on Stepashin on Wednesday, speaker Gennady Seleznyov said.