Lytvyn getting cocky already

An article in Akhmetov's big-selling 'Segodnya' newspaper reveals Lytvyn has wasted no time, and is already punching over his weight.

Here are some bits:

"Lytvyn is demanding management of tax administration, customs service, Kiev [city council] and parliament

Lytvyn envisages himself speaker of parliament, and sees members of his bloc in the positions of head of the state tax administration of Ukraine, and as Kyiv city head. Reliable sources have revealed that Lytvyn made these demands during private consultations with the leaders of the political forces which passed into the new parliament.

A list was apparently produced during his encounter with the President, and then at his meeting with Yulia Tymoshenko. Similar demands were made by Lytyvn to the Party of Regions. Furthermore, Lytvyn's packet of portfolio requirements included retention of his brother Mykola Lytvyn in his position as head of the state customs service.

All the main political forces consider Lytvyn's demands to be excessive - his bloc did not even gain 4% of votes cast. However, Lytvyn himself is not back-tracking."

Segodnya claims the deal on the PoR-NUNS-Lytvyn bloc 'shyrka' [broad coalition] may almost be complete - with Viktor Baloha, currently head of the pres's secretariat, becoming PM. In this way Yanuk and Yulka are both neutralized in the race for the presidency. But the paper does go on to describe many possible twists and turns including splits in NUNS, and possible conflicts in any BYuT-NUNS coalition.

The paper also reveals that 'lyubi dity': Yushchenko's nephew Yaroslav, Lutsenko's brother Serhiy, and son of former mayor of Kyiv Aleksandr Omelchenko all failed to enter the new VR on the NUNS list. You can be sure that Yanik's son got in though.

LEvko thinks all the particants in the coalition-building talks have thus far behaved responsibly, and comments made by them have been measured, which is encouraging. But sooner or later someone's going to be mighty disappointed, then it may well become a different matter...