1.   As in most other former Soviet republics, privatization sales of state property in Armenia are widely believed to have been rigged to enrich a few insiders.

2.   Chubais is detested by many Russians for his role in the privatization program, which enriched a few insiders while impoverishing millions of ordinary citizens.

3.   Lawmakers are especially unhappy about the appointment of Chubais, a reformer widely disliked in Russia as the architect of a privatization plan that enriched many insiders.

4.   Many Russians resent post-Soviet privatization, which has enriched a few insiders, but Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov said most deals were legal and would stay in place.