Saturday, November 29, 2008

BYuT and 'Regiony' already dividing up posts between them?

'Segodnya' has an article on progress on the possible formation of a BYuT/NUNS/BL coalition. Below are some portions:

BYuT and 'Regiony' already dividing up posts'

Lytvyn Bloc [BL] people say that PoR and BYuT have practically come to an agreement.

December 2nd could become as stormy as September 2nd when PoR and Tymoshenko's bloc began to vote together in the VR for anti-presidential laws. One possibility would be a repeat of voting for the very same laws. Acting VR speaker Olexandr Lavrynovych has submitted for consideration changes in the law on the Constitutional court which narrows the possibilities for the president to cancel any decision of the KabMin and makes possible enactment of a realistic impeachment procedure.

Information on behind-the-scenes movement began emerging after Yulia Tymoshenko's statement [earlier this week] giving Yushchenko a last chance to support formation of a BYuT/NUNS/BL coalition, otherwise she threatened to negotiate with other possible partners. The president's side reacted quickly and firmly: head of the Presidential Secretariat Viktor Baloha declared that Tymoshenko, having wrecked the old coalition, has no right to blackmail Yushchenko. And the head pro-presidential UNP Yuriy Kostenko claimed the prime minister's statement was only a cover for a real arrangement which already exists between BYuT and PoR.

Volodymyr Lytvyn recently unexpected stated that he supports Tymoshenko in her aspiration to create "a coalition of three". However BL deputy Oleh Zarubinsky on Friday told 'Segodnya' that words of his leader were incorrectly interpreted: "He said that this coalition would be the optimum option of those that could lead the VR out of the current situation. Concerning our consent nothing has yet been said, because we cannot talk about virtual matters. And this coalition without NUNS is a virtual matter. We all see that the majority of NUNS are against such coalition, because the president is against it. As to a BYuT/NUNS/BL coalition, these negotiations were a reality. But the've been suspended to extent that it is not necessary at all to talk about its reality today. As to PoR having very deep negotiations with BYuT, there is information that they have already reached the stage of [allocating] personnel positions".

Both BYuT and "Regiony" respond ambiguously to Zarubinsky's statements - in principle they reject them. "We are negotiating with everyone, and it is not a fact that BYuT are closer to forming a coalition with us than with NUNS," a source close to the PoR leadership told 'Segodnya',"and Lavrynovych's projects could simply be a means of pressurizing the president to decide either a coalition, or elections".

"Lavrynovych is being consistent," says Valeriy Pysarenko, a BYuT deputy. "He was then the author of these bills, and his principled position shows that he is a man of his word and deed. But I would not be so optimistic as regards December 2nd becoming a remake of September 2nd: we have already tried to work in an unstable majority mode, and now the emphasis will applied to coalition creation. We consider that in a coalition there can be parties having different views. And to frighten society with a PoR/BYuT coalition is silly right now, because society awaits exactly this both from PoR and from us. But in reality we are now as close to a coalition with PoR, as to a coalition with NUNS and BL."

From what deputies have told us one thing in undoubtedly clear: everyone is carrying out negotiations with everyone else. And they are being conducted feverishly as everyone is afraid that their competitors will outstrip them. But real arrangements, apparently, there are few. It is probable that PoR and BYuT have indeed agreed on joint voting on Lavrynovych's bill which suits both fractions, but to conclude from this a quick formation of a coalition will take place is hasty, just as it was hasty to forsee a coalition between those who removed [former VR speaker] Yatseniuk.

The life of this bill it could turn out to be short, the same as last time. Only this time it could be used as bargaining chip by 'Regionaly' who expect resolute actions on the formation of a coalition, or the announcement of early election, from Yushchenko. But if the president draws out his decision, a union between PoR and BYuT could make further progress.

*PRyBYuT in Ukrainian sounds a like 'they will nail down', or 'they will beat down..'

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Here's an odd little ditty, reported by Ukrainian Pravda. It seems that the Tymoshenko government has hired the Blackstone Group after George Soros' visit to Ukraine, for quite a princely sum.

It doesn't make any sense.

http://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2008/11/27/85204.htm