Snap parliamentary elections are not forgotten in Ukraine

After a joint vote in favour of an anti-crisis law by three parliamentary faction – Presidential OU-PS, Prime minister’s Block of Yulia Tymoshenko (BYT) and People’s party of Volodymyr Lytvyn – all the weekend in Ukraine was dedicated to the discussion on whether a new democratic coalition will be formed in Ukrainian parliament. Some people were also mentioning a "secret meeting" of President and Prime minister, where they had allegedly reached an agreement not to have early elections and to try to keep parliament working. Even on Monday analytics were trying to calculate whether a uniting (at least between Yushchenko and Tymoshenko forces) is possible. But the same day this dream was ruined: at first, by a person from President’s Administration and at second, by Viktor Yushchenko himself.

The first newsmaker was Deputy Head of the Secretariat of President of Ukraine Andriy Kyslynskyi. “The adoption of anti-crisis law can not be seen as a renovation of the Verkhovna Rada’s ability to work”, he told at the press conference on Monday morning. “It means that the ground on which the Decree on early termination of credentials of the Parliament was signed has not lost its actuality.”

“The Constitution of Ukraine provides the only legitimate way out of political crisis – early election. Election is as an instrument, not an end in itself. No imitation of work of the lawmakers, blocking of a tribune or frightening by the economic problems can put obstacles in the way of democratic procedures… We learned that more than 1,5 years ago, when the Government of Viktor Yanukovych had used the same arguments as the Government of Tymoshenko today”, Mr. Kyslynskyi has added.

After that speech of the Secretariat’ functionary one might think that the officials are declaring the things the President simply is a bit concerned to tell by himself. But this guess was also broken very soon. Giving a press conference in a little Western Ukrainian town of Vyzhnytsia (Bukovyna region), Viktor Yushchenko told that he doesn’t see any political force in the parliament who is in favour of the current Prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko, except of faction of the Block of Yulia Tymoshenko.

“I am sure: if Prime minister had acted honestly towards the coalition, hadn’t negotiated behind-the-scene, hadn’t taken consultations how to turn the course of Ukraine to another direction, this coalition would have worked for a long time”, said Viktor Yushchenko. He added that his faction OU-PS doesn’t want to come back to coalition, because it has no trust to ex-partners: that’s why the early election is the only constitutional way out.

Halloween in Ukrainian style. Part 2.

As I’ve promised, here is the second part of my impressions from the live TV programme with participation of all the main actors of a global show named Ukrainian Politics. Near 1 AM on 1st of November President Viktor Yushchenko had a possibility to give a conclusion speech, which was supposed to resume all the 4-hours-long talks on economic and political crisis in Ukraine.

“If you only knew how it is difficult to work as President of Ukraine,” were the very first words of a night declaration of Mr. Yushchenko. Almost all his following speech demonstrated how exactly he understands this uneasy role. It seems to me that Viktor Yushchenko feels like no more, no less but a pure conscience of a nation, standing above all persons and processes in the country and having a right to judge and blame everyone and everything – without any personal responsibility.

First hint that I want to mention is the most likely not planned but occasionally sounded out will of Viktor Yushchenko to push Yulia Tymoshenko down from a post of Prime minister in near future. Talking about an economic crisis, he underlined that “there are a list of measures to be taken by the Government, whoever will lead it”. “Who caused that (the crisis in Ukraine. – T.V.)? World crisis? It’s lye. All the crisis is sitting here,” prolonged President pointing on all the politicians present.

The point of view of Viktor Yushchenko on a government property is also worth to notice. I completely do not agree with the following statement: “The worst owner that could ever exist is a state”. And how about the strategic economic sectors and profitable state enterprises, Mr. Yushchenko?

I would like to bring attention to the “poetry” style of guarantor of the Constitution of Ukraine. I don’t know who wrote that exact speech for him, maybe it was an impromptu, but Viktor Yushchenko said the following: “The Government plunged into debts like a bitch into fleas” (Ukr.: Набрався боргів, як сучка блох”). Nice, huh?

The conclusion of a speech was not very pleasant at all. From the role of independent high arbiter President moved to prosecutor. “Shaking hands with you, I would like not to count my fingers after that (meaning that one or more might be stolen. – T.V.)”, addressed he to the BYT, looking not directly to Yulia Tymoshenko but to leader of BYT parliamentary faction Ivan Kyrylenko sitting not too close to him. “Not a world crisis destroyed us this year, but a social populism”, declared President, this time appealing in a Prime minister’s direction.

I wonder how people who even cannot talk to each other in a normal way – even on public – may lead the country out of a crisis to a better future.

P.S. President didn’t even use a word combination “snap election”. Conclusion: there will be no early parliamentary elections, at least in December 2008.

Halloween in Ukrainian style. Part 1.

One of the features of contemporary Ukrainian top-politics is a strong commitment to epistolary genre. If President wants to say something to Prime minister, he will not call her or schedule a meeting, au contraire, he will write an official letter mentioning all the points of discontent and criticism. The answer will be most probably given also in a form of a letter or with help of mass media. Members of parliament, party leaders and other politicians very often use the format of open letters to say something to their opponents.

Generally speaking, Ukrainian politics has a big problem with communication (in particular, with interpersonal communication) between the main players. But yesterday all the Ukrainians witnessed an unprecedented democratic achievement: all the political “top managers” of Ukraine appeared in a live TV-show.

President, Prime minister, Speaker of Verkhovna Rada, leaders of opposition – all of them spent the beginning of Halloween night talking about economy crisis in Ukraine. The programme started at 21.30 and lasted almost for 4 hours. During that time nobody left the studio. The closing speech of President finished at 01.24. Pretty late.

I was waiting much more from that evening. The main part of the show appeared to me rather boring and not very dynamic. Everyone was talking exactly what he (or she) was supposed to say. No breaking news, no lively noticeable discussion. That’s why I did have a plenty of time to notice a lot of interesting details, including strangeness of a decorations.

The President Viktor Yushchenko was sitting in a massive chair on a kind of a big podium, surrounded with two flags. Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko had a chair near the podium on the left from President, and the Head of Parliament Arseniy Yatseniuk – on his right. It resembled very much a throne of some fairy tale king and looked strange and pretentious. Maybe President’s aides were thinking that it should emphasize the presidential power, who knows. But I’ve suddenly thought that the previous President of Ukraine Leonid Kuchma, the main anti-hero of the Orange revolution, never made such a show from his TV appearances.

Other noticeable politicians, including leader of the People’s Party Volodymyr Lytvyn and the leader of the Party of Regions Viktor Yanukovych – were situated on the opposite side of a throne, sitting in rows on a simple chairs. The Chairman of the Communists Party of Ukraine Petro Symonenko was not invited, though communists are noticeably represented in Parliament.

The most interesting part of a show started near 1 o’clock in the night, when all the political leaders were to answer two questions:

1. Does a joint vote for anti-crisis-law-package of President’s Party Block (OU-PS), Block of the Prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko (BYT) and People’s Party of Volodymyr Lytvyn on 31 October mean that a new parliamentary coalition in formed?

2. Do you believe in a stable future work of Ukrainian Parliament? (Which means that no early election will be held in a nearest future).

I will not give all the answers here, as I’ve already got a rather long post. I will just chronologically give some quotations as they reflect the current situation in Ukrainian politics in the best way.

Ivan Kyrylenko, leader of parliamentary faction of the BYT:
“Parliament will work… I am sorry for all the troubles we have caused to our colleagues by blocking the parliament”.

Arseniy Yatseniuk, Head of the Parliament:
“With God’s will we will work”.

Vyacheslav Kyrylenko, leader of parliamentary faction of OU-PS:
“We haven’t united with anyone yet, we’ve just voted for a law… No, unfortunately it’s not possible to say that there is a new coalition”.

Viktor Yanukovych, leader of the oppositional Party of Regions:
“We have been watching this performance during all the year… Yulia Volodymyrivna (Tymoshenko. – T.V.), you shouldn't fool people so cynically as you are doing now".

Volodymyr Lytvyn, leader of the People’s Party:
“The consolidation demonstrated here looks like made in a 5 minutes before the shooting execution”.

An answer of a President Yuschenko was also very interesting and symbolic a lot. I will write about it in my next post. Have a nice weekend.

IMF Announces Agreement with Ukraine on US$16.5 Billion Loan

The International Monetary Fund announces outline plans to lend $16.5 billion to Ukraine to support a policy package the country has assembled to maintain economic and financial stability. Ukraine's economy has been affected by the global financial turmoil and falling steel prices.
Mr. Dominique Strauss-Kahn, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), issued the following statement on Ukraine today:
"An IMF staff mission and the Ukraine authorities have today reached agreement, subject to approval by IMF Management and the Executive Board, on an economic program supported by an SDR 11 billion (US$16.5 billion) loan under an 24-month Stand-By Arrangement. Consideration by the Board would follow approval of legislative changes to Ukraine's bank resolution program.
"Ukraine has developed a comprehensive policy package designed to help the country meet the balance of payments needs created by the collapse of steel prices, and the global financial turmoil and related difficulties in Ukraine's financial system. The authorities' program is intended to support Ukraine's return to economic and financial stability, by addressing financial sector liquidity and solvency problems, by smoothing the adjustment to large external shocks and by reducing inflation. At the same time, it will guard against a deep output decline by insulating household and corporations to the extent possible.
"The IMF is moving expeditiously to help Ukraine, and this program is focused on the essential upfront measures needed to maintain confidence and economic and financial stability. The strength of the program justifies the high level of access, equivalent to 800 percent of Ukraine's quota in the Fund," Mr. Strauss-Kahn added.

Parliamentary disease

On Wednesday, 23 October I went to the Parliament, which was supposed to start to work (after the mentioned above decision of President) and even to approve anti-crisis package of legislation (as for that date there were two main (different) projects of law on this issue: presented by President and Prime minister).
The day appeared to be not lucky at all – the Parliament didn’t start to work and I’ve caught flu.
My “parliamentary disease” didn’t last for a long time: today I’m practically back to the camp of healthy members of society. But the health of the Parliament of Ukraine is still in very bad condition. After its dismissal and then mysterious call back, the Parliament simply cannot start to work and to pass legislation. Ukraine is facing the worst economical crisis in its history, but who cares about that. Ukraine and its citizens became like a hostages of a current political turmoil.
One member of Parliament told me on Wednesday that it will be more correct to say that all the Ukrainian citizens and a country are the hostages of a fight between President Viktor Yushchenko and Prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko. He mentioned also that we are witnessing not a start of parliamentary campaign for a snap election, but a start of a presidential campaign. I agree with this point of view.
As I predicted, the parliamentary crisis will not finish before I will override my flu. On Tuesday I am going to visit the Parliament again. Everything will be exactly like a week before: even with almost the same anti-crisis package in the agenda. And I am very sceptical concerning the result of that day. Ukrainian Parliamentary disease seems very difficult to cure.