Sunday, December 10, 2006

Political re-arrangements and in-fighting

Over the last few days the Socialist Party of Ukraine, although they only have 33 deputies in the ruling anti-crisis coalition [Acc], have used their votes to great effect. They, together with opposition parties BYuT and NSNU voted through the motion to recognize the 1932-33 Holodomor as genocide. The reaction from PoR was muted, and there will be no action taken against the two PoR deputies who voted with the opposition. The Socialists then voted first to keep their former party member Yuriy Lutsenko in the Minister of Internal Affairs' chair, and on the next day, after a deal was done, voted to dump him.

Now the Communists are getting grumpy, and are threatening to 'sink' the Acc.

'Dzerkalo Tyzhnya' describes the Acc political parties, PoR, Socialists, and Communists, as being 'united by their fear of losing power, yet tied by mutual mistrust.'

Unsurprisingly, Yuliya T. has been talking up the possibility of the Acc crumbling in the spring, creating the need for early elections. Other nat-dem leaders, unhappy with Yushchenko's leadership, are not excluding this possibility either, and are regrouping.
The former head of the NSNU executive council Mykola Katerynchuk may be forming a new political movement, "European platform for Ukraine" which may eventually become a political party. A founding committee meeting is to take place on the 14th December.

Meanwhile, the Socialists can feel quite smug. PoR have to consult them on every motion in the VR because their support and votes are essential. But the Socialists realize, that if they are to have a political future, they have to show the electorate they are not PoR's poodle, and are still semi-detached from them. In the event of an orange coalition being recreated, they will still be required - it must feel good to be wooed by both the oranges and the blues.

The only danger to the Socialists is a possible PoR-NSNU coalition, an arrangement Rinat Akhmetov supposedly favors. The political situation in Ukraine is maybe not as stable as some think.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I think the Communists are looking for more money while Moroz and the Socialists are thinking and acting strategically. PoR is getting a swollen head and Moroz wanted to bring it to their attention that they are the real power of ACC. (Very much like "without us you're nothing.") In the meantime, Moroz earned brownie points with his supporters both in Ukraine and abroad, for the Holodomor vote and kept the MBC in the house. Let's face it, in comparison to Moroz, the PoR are the "new kids on the block" and have a lot to learn.

Anonymous said...

Personally, I was for a "PoR-NSNU coalition" right after the Pres. elections as Yushchenko would be going in as a conquering hero. But never happened, oh well. I can't see it happening now as PoR would look foolish to enter into such an arrangement with their avowed enemy.