Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Frankenstein rises?

An article in the normally serious daily 'Obozrevatel', entitled "Frankenstein comes to life - coalition of three almost a reality", claims that talks between BYuT, Party of Regions, and Lytvyn's Bloc [BL] on the formation of a major new parliamentary coalition are now well advanced.

The parties are agreed on neutral status for Ukraine, retention of the status quo on Russian and the Black Sea fleet, membership of the CIS and membership of the GUAM bloc [Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, Modova].

Government posts are to be 'divvied up' as follows: three first vice-premier's to PoR, the entire economic block to PoR, and social and humanitarian ministries to BYuT. Customs and tax administration to PoR, anti-monopoly committee, Treasury and and National Reserve to BYuT. According to the new agreement, BL are to be granted control over the Ministry of Transport, the National Bank, State Property Fund and several minor departments.

Most significantly, 'Oboz' claims the parties have practically agreed on a new constitutional reform program for Ukraine. Having changed the Constitution, they want to transform Ukraine into parliamentary republic. Under their agreement, the new President will be chosen by the Verkhovna Rada, and this is to occur once president Yushchenko has been impeached. The VR will then select Viktor Yanukovych as president whilst Yulia Tymoshenko will remains Prime minister and Volodymyr Lytvyn remains in the VR speaker's chair.

A moratorium on all-Ukrainian elections will be declared until 2015; i.e. the present parliament will prolong its existence for a further 3 years beyond the present constitutional norm.

The article does state that there is still a lack of trust between the parties, but claims: "the level of readiness of agreement between the three parties is about 85%". Volodymyr Lytvyn seems to be the main driving force for these most significant proposals.

A PoR-BYuT deal has been a possibility after last summer's plotting on the high seas and voting in the VR.

Tonight, on TV, PoR 'mouthpiece' Hanna Herman confirmed that her party supports the impeachment of president Yushchenko, and said, "We have a lot of deputies who consider that in BYuT there are very many interesting people, pragmatic, with whom we could work, with whom it is easier to work with that with Our Ukraine."

And 'Segodnya' reports SBU chief Valentyn Nalyvaychenko's attitude to PM Tymoshenko and her party has become markedly sweeter after the party's somewhat unexpected support in the VR to confirm his appointment as state security head. Maybe he realises in which the direction the wind is beginning to blow..

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

If this is indeed true, then it looks to me like the "political elite", the pigs at the trough, are maneuvering to keep themselves in place permanently.

The pretense of government in Ukraine will become permanent.

Unless the people finally wake up and do something about it.

The problem is that it looks to me like people learned so long ago, under sovok government, to get around the government, including theft and an underground, or shadow economy, that they don't believe that good government can actually do something good for the country.

Like keep oligarchs from abusing government for their own personal benefit.

Like keeping the country independent and free.

Like addressing the rights of individuals, rather than just oligarchs and their friends.

Like maybe preventing banks from closing down through a system like the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, which protects customer's deposits if a bank should go under.

I hope the people in Ukraine finally wake up and step forward for some good government, rather than waiting for a messiah of some sort to do it for them, or just simply waiting.

Anonymous said...

Well Our Ukraine is bankrupt having been sold out by Yushchenko.

With public support at 2% and dropping Yushchenko has become the world least supported Head of State.

news reports that Yushchenko and his Office arwe not happy that the SBU have rejected his false and vexatious, politically motivate attack against Yulia Tymoshenko. Littel wonder why BYuT and PoR have come to some agreement in the formation of a broad coalition. It may nto be what Yushchenko was thinking BUT hopefully it will put an end to Yushchenko reign of foolishness and an end to the Soviet/US style presidential system. If the alliance heralds a new beginning and laying of new democratic foundation stones of a true European style Parliamentary democracy then the new revised coalition or cooperation would be welcomed. A step in the right direction.

The best thing Yushchenko can do for Ukraine is to resign and allow fresh presidential elections to take place in September. A Summer/Fall election is by far more preferable then a mid Winter January poll.