NUNS chasing Yulka

Today an orange VR election 'mega-bloc' was formed. Details in English here.

Akhmetov's 'Segodnya' newspaper christen the new bloc "Nasha Ukraina-Narodna Samooborona", or 'NUNSivtsi' for short. 'Segodnya' considers that the primary task the new bloc has set itself is to overtake BYuT as the largest orange bloc in the new VR. In their words: "To prove to everyone that Viktor Yushchenko is now a stronger leader than Yulia Tymoshenko, and can claim victory in the presidential elections."

However, even with the popular Yuriy Lutsenko 'on board', the article claims it will be difficult for NUNS to become the second-largest political bloc.

Lutsenko has declared that the new bloc would only co-operate in coalition with BYuT in the new VR; but 'Segodnya' quotes a politolog who, when asked if this could be a problem, replies: "If we analyse inconsistencies in his behaviour, first he declared that he would not work in the Yanukovych government [after the 2006 VR elections], but then asked to remain in the government, so the question answers itself." Anyhow, the true leader of NUNS is Yushchenko himself, and he would most likely give an NUNS-PoR coalition his blessing.

LEvko thinks that the big businessmen who are 'payrolling' their favoured parties' election campaigns will be feeling disgruntled. The money sunk into the respective campaigns will have to be clawed back after the elections, so problems of corruption and misuse of power will continue whoever forms the next government..

ps. The pres. is visiting Donetsk Friday. I'm sure his 2003 visit, when he was 'run out of town', will pass through his mind..