No court, no problem?

In my last post I wrote about the appeal of Yulia Tymoshenko party to Kiev’s District Administrative Court that led to suspension of the Decree of President of Ukraine Viktor Yushchenko calling for early election on 7 December 2008. Election officials refused to start preparations for the early vote after a court suspended the decree.

What happened next. To cancel the order of Kiev’s District Administrative Court Mr. Yushchenko’s office had appealed to a higher court – Kiev Appeal Administrative Court. They claimed that the Court’s order had no authority since President had already fired the judge before he made the ruling.

Today, on 13 October the things have got even worse. Both Tymoshenko and Yushchenko sent to the Kiev Appeal Administrative Court building the representatives of security forces “to prevent any illegal actions”. No one has crossed the line of law, but the situation was rather frightening. As a result – no agreement and no decision.

The way President of Ukraine have decided to resolve the “Court issue” looks a bit strange. He simply liquidated the Kiev District Administrative Court with his Decree No 922/2008 (of 13 October 2008). No Court, no problem.

The third potential candidate for a post of President of Ukraine in 2010 – leader of the Party of Regions, ex-prime minister and a “lost side” in the Orange revolution Viktor Yanukovych – who is not involved in the Court conflict (as today he doesn’t obtain any influential post) tries to raise his own rating, criticising his political opponents. In his statement, distributed by the party of Regions’ press service he stressed that the snap parliamentary poll must take place in Ukraine as soon as possible. “Force structures are already involved in the conflict”, he said, “This is a catastrophe”.

It seems to me, Ukrainian politics is in strong need of new faces. And also we should not forget, what the rule of law is.

There will be no early parliamentary election in Ukraine – prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko

Today I watched on TV one political show with a debate of the prime minister of Ukraine Yulia Tymoshenko and the leader of oppositional Party of Regions Viktor Yanukovich. The most important things that I’ve noticed are the following:

1. Yulia Tymoshenko declared that there will be no early parliamentary election in Ukraine. “President’s Decree is throwing Ukraine into big troubles, - she said. – Until a middle of summer the parliament will not work”.

2. Yulia Tymoshenko will never form an honest coalition with Viktor Yanukovich as she accused him in a lot of terrible things (even including the economical crisis in Ukraine) in a rather rude form. The answers of Mr. Yanukovich were also not very polite.

As I know, today Julia Tymoshenko block took to Kiev District Administrative Court a question of the legitimacy of the Decree of President of Ukraine Viktor Yushchenko concerning the call for early election on 7 December and the dismissal of current Parliament of Ukraine of 6th convocation.

I’ve got information that today another Decree of president of Ukraine dismissed also a Judge of the Kiev District Administrative Court Mr. Keleberda, because “He did not have a power to examine the appeal of Yulia Tymoshenko block to suspend the President Decree “On prescheduled cessation of powers of Verkhovna Rada (Parliament – TV) of Ukraine of 6th convocation and scheduling early election” No 911/2008". It was a quotation of Ruslan Kyryliuk, Head of Service for the representation of interests of President of Ukraine in courts.

Viktor Yushchenko is shuffling cards

On 8 October 2008 president of Ukraine Viktor Yushchenko made a big step on a way of weakening Ukrainian democracy and making impossible a fast realisation of essential reforms to fight the consequences of the world financial crisis. He dismissed current parliament (Verkhovna Rada) of 6th convocation and scheduled early election on 7 December 2008.

Now Ukraine is facing a new period of political instability and huge economic problems. The most sorrowful is the fact that after the election nothing is going to change in political spectrum of our country. The same deck of political playing cards will just be set out in a bit different position. The main malaise of Ukrainian domestic politics – artificially built party system and deep personal antagonism between the “first faces” of leading political powers – is not going to be eliminated.

Ukraine is in need of reforms of electoral law, Ukraine is in need of new faces and new ideas, but will face almost the same unstable parliament and a new problem with forming a ruling parliamentary coalition (taking to the account future presidential election in early 2010 and a fact that Viktor Yuschenko, prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko and the leader of the biggest (and very much supported) Party of Regions Viktor Yanukovich are planning to ballot for a presidential post).

While reading a book on history of Ottoman Empire yesterday, I liked one paragraph telling about the sultan Abdülhamit II, who is known as the last Ottoman sultan with absolute power. Enthroned in 1876, Abdülhamit II received a nickname “Bloody” for his rough style of country management. Trying to correspond to the time in late 1876 he gave to the Ottoman Empire a constitution and assembled a parliament, but only to dismiss it very fast (in 1878) and to re-establish an autocratic rule. Between 1878 and 1908 there were also 18 changes of government in Istanbul. But the dismissed grand viziers (prime ministers) were not leaving top-politics – they were kept in reserve and from time to time were put back on their positions.

In independent democratic Ukraine after the Orange revolution at the end of 2004, there were 4 governments – a new government was formed every year. First post-revolution prime minister was Yulia Timoshenko (as the closest Yushchenko’s ally). In September 2005 she was dismissed and Yuri Yehanurov took her place. Then in July 2006 (as a result of the victory of Party of Regions at parliamentary elections) Viktor Yanukovich became a prime minister. After the early election of September 2007, this post was gained again by Yulia Tymochenko. While dismissing parliament on 8 October 2008, president Yushchenko accused Yulia Tymoshenko in a failure of a ruling “Orange”coalition in early September.

It is really very sad that the political situation in Ukraine – after Orange Maydan and so huge democratic opportunities – with every day much more resembles the history of the empire, falling into pieces.

Obama, McCain, and Ukraine

This morning I woke up very early: to watch a second presidential debate between Barack Obama and John McCain at 4 AM by Kiev time. Presidential candidates started with economic crisis and domestic politics. In this boring discussion Obama looked more self-confident and sounded more clear and knowing-how. That’s good for his rating, but it was not a point of my almost sleepless night. I was waiting for foreign block of a discussion. It was worth of waiting.

Usually Ukraine never becomes a significant topic of the debates of American presidential race. Today (yesterday – for USA) this rule was broken. Accompanied by Georgia, Ukraine became a part of the discussion of Obama and McCain. And I can say that in the knowledge of the topic McCain is much more stronger than his opponent. Knowing better, doing better?

Giving an answer to the question concerning a possibility of starting another Cold War (obviously with Russia), McCain said the following:
“I think that we're not going to have another Cold War with Russia. But Russia's behavior is certainly outside the norms of behavior that we would expect for nations which are very wealthy, as Russia has become, because of their petro dollars. Now, long ago, I warned about Vladimir Putin. I said: I looked into his eyes and saw three letters - K G B... He has exhibited most aggressive behavior, obviously, in Georgia. I said before, watch Ukraine. Ukraine, right now, is in the sights of Vladimir Putin, those that want to reassemble the old Soviet Union.
We've got to show moral support for Georgia. We've got to show moral support for Ukraine. We've got to advocate for their membership in NATO. We have to make the Russians understand that there are penalties for these this kind of behavior, this kind of naked aggression into Georgia, a tiny country and a tiny democracy".

Barack Obama showed much less knowledge about post-soviet region. He declared that Russia should be one of the central issues of the US presidency. But as I could notice Mr. Obama have no real interest in post-soviet developments. Talking about post-soviet countries and satellites, which should become a priority for American help to develop the economies, he mentioned only three states – actually members of the European Union:
“I agree with Sen. McCain on many of the steps that have to be taken. But we can't just provide moral support. We've got to provide moral support to the Poles and Estonia and Latvia and all of the nations that were former Soviet satellites. We've also got to provide them with financial and concrete assistance to help rebuild their economies. Georgia in particular is now on the brink of enormous economic challenges. And some say that that's what Putin intended in the first place”.

In the same style Barack Obama gave an explanation of the situation in Georgia:
“Back in April, I put out a statement saying that the situation in Georgia was unsustainable because you had Russian peacekeepers in these territories that were under dispute. And you knew that if the Russians themselves were trying to obtain some of these territories or push back against Georgia, that that was not a stable situation. So part of the job of the next commander-in-chief, in keeping all of you safe, is making sure that we can see some of the 21st Century challenges and anticipate them before they happen”.

But the very last point of Mr. Obama have hit me directly in the heart. He proposed American citizens to fight Russia by… reducing the energy consumption:
“And one last point I want to make about Russia. Energy is going to be key in dealing with Russia. If we can reduce our energy consumption, that reduces the amount of petro dollars that they have to make mischief around the world. That will strengthen us and weaken them when it comes to issues like Georgia”.

The follow-by comment of McCain sounded much more promising as for Ukraine:
“Obviously energy is going to be a big, big factor. And Georgia and Ukraine are both major gateways of energy into Europe. And that's one of the reasons why it's in our interest. But the Russians, I think we can deal with them but they've got to understand that they're facing a very firm and determined United States of America that will defend our interests and that of other countries in the world”.

All I can say is that I hope that if Barack Obama become the President of United States, he will manage to find professional foreign politics counsellors to work with him in the White House.

Independence day

Just for information for readers of my blog. Due to some reasons yesterday I offered my resignation from the position of the Director of Foreign Affairs of Ukrainian MP’s Club “Parliament”. As for today I am planning to work as independent journalist to cover recent developments in Ukrainian politics and main trends of foreign policy of my state. I am sure that my new status will help me to continue to write and think freely, without any restrictions and self-censure.