Ukraine in focus, March 17-23
2008
The Democratic Initiatives
Foundation is closely following the political events in Ukraine in
order to monitor the pre-election promises of the country’s most
powerful political forces that won seats in parliament in the snap
elections on September 30, 2007. The monitoring is being conducted
within the framework of the “Where are politicians leading
us?”
March 17
President Viktor Yushchenko and Premier Yulia Tymoshenko expressed
their hopes that the member countries of NATO support Ukraine’s
joining the alliance in a letter to NATO Secretary General Jaap de
Hoop Scheffer. In addition to that they appealed to the
Federal Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel and President of France
Nicola Sarkozy requesting their country’s support of the decision
of NATO to allow Ukraine to become a member.
Five members of the Central Election Commission approved
the decision to replace its chairman Volodymyr Shapovalov
in connection with “improper organization of work” and “deliberate
blocking of the review of issues on the imperative mandate”.
In Kosovo during the conducting of special operations to
liberate the seized territory and judicial buildings in the
northern parts of Mitrovice there was a clash between opponents of
the independence of Kosovo and UN police forces. During
the clashes employees of the Special Peacekeeping Subdivision of
the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine were shot and had
grenades thrown in their direction. One Ukrainian peacekeeper,
Senior Lieutenant Ihor Kinal, died due to severe injuries and a
total of 21 peacekeepers sustained injuries.
March 18
NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer stated that there is
no consensus in the Alliance regarding Ukraine. He also
noted that he cannot foresee what the end result of the talks on
including Ukraine and Georgia in the Plan of Action on membership
in the Alliance will be; not a single state outside the bloc can
influence the final decision thereto.
The Verkhovna Rada ratified the Law On the Cabinet of
Ministers of Ukraine in the first reading with 246 deputies (MPs)
voting in favor. By virtue of the new law, the president
will have greater powers. In particular, the president can now
reject candidatures for premier submitted by the coalition and halt
any resolutions of the Cabinet of Ministers. At the same time, the
premier will have less power when it comes to personnel/staffing
issues. The new legislation envisages that the ministers of defense
and foreign affairs are appointed to their positions by the
Verkhovna Rada exclusively at the request of the president. The
opposition and certain members of the coalition admit that at least
several clauses of the new edition of the Constitution are in
contradiction of the country’s main legal document. The
parliamentarians will amend these clauses within two weeks.
Tymoshenko confirmed that the new bill on the Cabinet of
Ministers is disadvantageous as it limits the powers of the
government and the premier. The faction of the head of
government was forced to support the president’s draft law in
exchange for votes in favor of declaring the holding of premature
elections to the post of mayor of Kyiv.
The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine adopted a resolution
announcing premature elections to the post of mayor of Kyiv and
head of the Kyiv City Council. 246 of 441 people’s
deputies registered in the parliament voted in favor of this
decision. Specifically, 155 are members of the YTB, 59 – OU-PSD, 26
– CPU and 6 – Lytvyn Bloc. The Party of Regions did not vote in its
full capacity. This resolution envisages the calling of premature
(snap) elections in the last week of the 70-day term from the day
the document takes effect
March 19
The premier announced at a press conference held today that YTB
will put forth its candidate for the premature elections of the
mayor of Kyiv and hopes it will be the only candidate from the
coalition. Tymoshenko said that inasmuch as her political
force has the highest level of support among the electorate in Kyiv
it will motion for its own candidate in the elections.
March 20
The Verkhovna Rada submitted a bill on the limitation of deputy
immunity for review by the Constitutional Court, which garnered the
support of 226 people’s deputies. Representatives of the
coalition affirm that the process of eradicating immunity is
totally legitimate and irrevocable. Their political opponents
complained about infractions during voting.
The deputy group People’s Self-defense held talks with
Yushchenko during which it raised the issue of the resignation of
Presidential Secretary Viktor Baloha. VR deputy Oles
Doniy, one of the participants of the talks, said the reason for
the demand that Baloha be dismissed from his position is due to his
destructive work that obstructs the coalition from coordinating its
work.
March 21
The Verkhovna Rada did not convene today. The Party of
Regions faction demands that Ukrainian peacekeepers be recalled
from Kosovo by April 1. The corresponding draft resolution for this
was registered in the VR. The party’s leader Viktor Yanukovych said
that the faction will call to people’s deputies of the coalition
and the opposition to support the resolution on the recall of
Ukrainian soldiers in Kosovo.
Today the Verkhovna Rada announced premature elections of
the mayor of Kyiv and head of the Kyiv City Council on May
25. The head of the Kyiv City Territorial Election
Commission Halyna Bilyk informed about this. She explained that
since the council’s resolution was officially made public on
Friday, March 21, the last day of the 70-day term for the holding
of the elections falls on May 25.
Ukraine’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Volodymyr Ohryzko
announced after the close of a meeting of the National Security and
Defense Council that Ukraine will not recall its peacekeeping
contingent from Kosovo. He stressed that the NSDC approved
a decision to alter the position of Ukraine’s peacekeeping mission
in Kosovo. At the same time, an additional thorough investigation
is being conducted into the circumstances around the injured
Ukrainian peacekeepers and the recent death of one of them in
Kosovo. Ohryzko also affirmed that new ways and methods of
guaranteeing the safety of Ukrainian peacekeepers will be sought
out.
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