Friday, August 04, 2006

What clinched it for Yanuk?

On 2nd August, 'make your mind up time' was fast approaching for Yushchenko - whether to approve Yanukovych's nomination for PM, or to dismiss parliament. That morning Yushchenko had met Tymoshenko and it seemed the President was set to choose the latter option. Around 5pm, Yushchenko meets Yanukovych, and they are joined later by Moroz.

Some reports say that a pre-recorded video tape, announcing the VR's dismissal, was handed over to TV companies at around 7 pm for broadcasting later that evening.

By 8 pm, Yushchenko recalls the video tape. Also present around this time in the President's offices were Andriy Klyuyev and Petro Poroshenko, who were busy 'divvying up' Cabinet posts between PoR and NSNU. [From Ukr.Pravda]

In a TV interview today, Tymoshenko's #2, Oleksandr Turchynov, said the following:

"And we considered that a person who travelled such a difficult road, in order to occupy this post [of President] should act according to the post. Unfortunately, this was not to be the case. Already after the decision was taken about the dissolution of parliament, after a cassette was recorded with an address to the nation, [further] negotiations took place between Yushchenko, Yanukovych, and Moroz, behind closed doors. I do not know what arguments they presented to him. Maybe they reminded him about RosUkrEnergo, maybe others..."

The dim cow of an interviewer did not pick up on this last remark immediately, as any half decent journalist would, but continued with scripted questions..

Another commentator in Ukr Pravda notes that at the same time that discussions were taking place between the President and the Anti-Crisis Coalition, the coalition set up a parliamentary investigative commission to look into the activities of the State oil and gas company, 'Naftogaz Ukrainy'.

The commentator suggests that this may have been the prime reason Yushchenko did not dismiss parliament, and that the kompromat material which may have been revealed had fresh elections taken place, is exclusively in the hands of Moroz.

"The already-created commission - [well] this is just a means to simultaneously take-over control of shadow schemes, involving the State company, from Yushchenko's people," she adds.

It is becoming apparent the President was in two minds until the last minute as to what to do, but it was during final meeting with Yanukovych and Moroz that he finally decided to go with 'Yanuk for PM'..















[PoR's Bohatyrova and NSNU's Poroshenko giving someone the 'dead-eye' in the VR today.]

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I watched "Garazh" the other day, (and Gosti is Buduschego last week) and now I'm snickering, because Poroshenko reminds me of Viacheslav Nevinnyy.

MattyJ said...

Can someone explain why Lutsenko called Moroz a bastard? I was under the impression that he disliked the Regions and was so committed to Democracy that he would never work under Yanukovych. So what is this? He appears to be the new Interior Minister in Yanukovych's government? Don't get me wrong, im pleased. But is it not slight hypocricy?

LEvko said...

Lutsenko is supposed to be giving a press conference on Friday to explain his unexpected volte-face.

My theory is that he has gathered a lot of kompromat since the OR, so could be useful to Yanuk, who has potential enemies in his own camp and beyond too.

'Keep your friends close to your chest..but keep your enemies even closer..' Machiavelli.

Anonymous said...

Actually the caption to the photo is incorrect - they are not looking at the same person but ARE deep in discussion. Of course trying not to make it so.

And my theory on Yanuk keeping Lutsenko is to give himself (Yanuk) the image of being clean - reflected from Lutsenko. My ques. is HOW long will Lutsenko stick around before he quits (but where will he go?) - anyone placing any bets?