Upcoming Ukrainian Parliamentary Elections

5.   NGO seeks local ex-pat election help

Kyiv Post
by Yulianna Vilkos, Kyiv Post Staff Writer
January 26, 2006

Expatriates already living in Ukraine and willing to work as observers in Ukraine’s March parliamentary elections are being sought by a Western-backed NGO for its monitoring team.

The U.S.-based International Republican Institute (IRI), an affiliate of the American Republican Party, is eager to recruit more ex-pats as election monitors than it has in the past.

“I think there will be greater interest from expatriates after the Orange Revolution,” said Chris Holzen, IRI Country Director in Ukraine.

Holzen said IRI will try to complement other staff in its observer missions, which are funded by grants from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the National Endowment for Democracy (NED).

“We are seeking expatriates who live in Ukraine, who will be here on March 26, and who would like to register as an IRI election observer,” said Holzen.

He says the volunteer observers will go through a one-day training program that will explain Ukraine’s election law and the standards of election observation missions.

IRI handled nine inquires as of Jan. 25.

Out of the 80 observers that IRI sent to voting stations during the 2004 presidential elections, 20 were local foreigners. The rest came from outside Ukraine.

Holzen hopes that this year, due to increased interest in Ukrainian politics, there will be more ex-pats in each mission. He said it’s still too early to say how many more, though.

USAID-funded missions will recruit more than 5,000 observers in total – both domestic and international, the agency’s staff reported. 

USAID, which has been a major sponsor of democracy initiatives in Ukraine for years, has provided $2.5 million to monitor this year’s elections, a USAID official said. The funding represents about one-fifth of the total funds provided by the agency for election assistance activities in Ukraine this year.

“While the funding for both [presidential and parliamentary] elections was substantial, it is less for this year’s parliamentary elections,” said Kathryn Stevens, director of the USAID office for democracy and governance.

Stevens declined to say how much was spent for election monitoring during the 2004 presidential elections.

In total, the agency funded about $18.3 million worth of projects in Ukraine last year and plans to spend about $13.3 million this year.

Apart from IRI-coordinated monitoring, USAID will also fund observation missions carried out and supported by the Kyiv-based Committee of Voters of Ukraine, the National Democratic Institute, and Freedom House.

5.   Last calls being made for new Orange coalition

Kyiv Post
by Evgenia Mussuri, Kyiv Post Staff Writer
January 26, 2006

Former allies from last winter’s Orange Revolution, now political foes, are increasingly calling for reunification in the run up to the March 2006 parliamentary elections. Political analysts, however, predict that a coalition will not be formed until all the votes are counted.

In an official statement, People’s Party Our Ukraine, which is loyal to President Viktor Yushchenko, called on the Socialist Party of Ukraine, the Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc, the Pora-Reforms & Order group and the bloc of speaker Volodymyr Lytvyn to run together against political forces once allied with former President Leonid Kuchma.

According to the conditions of a coalition project put forward by the pro-Yushchenko bloc, Premier Yuriy Yekhanurov, who replaced Tymoshenko in September, would remain in his post before and after the March elections. Earlier this month, the Tymoshenko and Lytvyn blocs took part in a no-confidence vote against the Yekhanurov government, criticizing it for the result of the  gas deal inked Jan. 4 with Russia.

Yushchenko’s team wants that vote reversed and former Orange allies to reconfirm Yekhanurov after voters go to the polls Mar. 26. In line with changes recently introduced to Ukraine’s constitution, the parliament elected in 2006, not the president, will decide who will be prime minister. Adding to the confusion, parliament’s refusal to appoint a full board of constitutional judges has prevented a ruling to clarify whether its vote to oust the government was legal or not.

Political analysts say the coalition-building attempts will not pan out until after the elections.

Mykhailo Pohrebinsky, the director of the Center for Political and Conflict Research, said plans for a revived “Orange” coalition before the elections “is a good intention but it is not going to happen,” as long as Our Ukraine insists on keeping Yekhanurov as premier.

Other parties are not going to accept this condition, he added.

“Our Ukraine understands this but is only using the coalition idea as part of their political strategy,” Pohrebinsky said, adding that they want to look like a party seeking a constructive compromise.

“They want to preserve the status quo; they realize they are not going to win the elections on their own,” he said.

Political spin doctors say that former Orange coalition forces, such as Yulia Tymoshenko, are also publicly seeking reunification for much the same reasons, while balking at it when the discussions come to the negotiation table.

Political strategist Dmytro Vydrin, who’s running on the Tymoshenko bloc ticket, said a coalition is theoretically possible given that Tymoshenko’s and Yushchenko’s teams share similar ideology and goals, but the staff of the next government has to be agreed beforehand.

“Yushchenko should get rid of people from his circle who have been involved in and accused of corruption,” Vydrin said. “Without an agreement on who is in the government, a coalition is improbable.”

Our Ukraine’s insistence that Yekhanurov remain as prime minister appears unacceptable to Tymoshenko, who has publicly expressed her desire to return as premier after the elections.

The Our Ukraine bloc says in its compromise proposal that it expects an answer from its former allies by Feb. 2.

The next session of the current parliament is scheduled for Feb. 7.

It remains to be seen how the issue will be resolved and who will have control in the new parliament. Recent polls indicate that Our Ukraine and Tymoshenko each have about 15 percent voter support; Viktor Yanukovych’s Party of Regions has as much as 30 percent support according to some polls. Polls also show that the Socialists have six percent support, fueling speculation that old Orange Revolution allies could form a majority government after the elections.

Another scenario envisions either Our Ukraine or Tymoshenko aligning with Yanukovych’s Regions party to form a majority.

If the Rada doesn’t form a coalition within 30 days, Yushchenko can dismiss parliament.

Kost Bondarenko, director of the Institute for National Strategy, said all the bargaining hinges on the allocation of top posts in the next government and parliament.

Bondarenko doesn’t exclude the possibility that the new parliament may cancel its decision to oust the government, but says that the Yekhanurov team is likely to be reshuffled if kept in place. Recent calls by Yushchenko for a referendum to reverse political reforms that shift powers from the president to the parliament are likely to further complicate negotiations.

11.   OSCE: Elections-2006 will be hard

ForUm
January 26, 2006

The OSCE observation mission forecasts tough parliamentary campaign in Ukraine, as declared the Mission’s head Lubomir Kopaj.

“We know that the campaign will be hard and we do not rule out unpleasant moments. As for the good news, this campaign will be conducted on a competitive basis,” said he, “Rupor” informed.

“We would be happy if the elections called honest, transparent and fair at the end of mission’s stay, but we are not naïve,” added Kopaj.

Kopaj noted that members of the observation mission intend treat equally all participants of the campaign. “We will treat every political leader as a potential Premier,” said he.

The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights has requested 600 short-term observers to be deployed immediately prior to the 26 March election.

15.   Elections-2006 Restricted within Price Limits!

MIG News
January 26, 2006

The parliamentary elections are coming soon, so it is high time for parties and blocs to think over their election campaign and what “gifts” they are ready to present the voters with.

Meanwhile, the Central Election Commission has adopted an explanation to the decree on prohibition of distributing any services, goods, securities, credits, lottery tickets and other material values among voters, different institutions and organizations.

However, the ban has not been imposed on goods with visual depiction of the parties’ symbols or names and the parties’ flags, yet the goods’ price must not exceed 3% of minimal wages.

As a reminder, the minimal wages are 332 grivnas, consequently, the limit price of each gift presented by a deputy must not exceed 9,96 grivnas. By the way, the official currency exchange rate fixed by the National Bank is 5,05 grivnas per $1.

The explanation will be publicized twice a week on the first page of  Golos Ukrainy and Uryadovy Kuryer newspapers and broadcast by the National Television Company of Ukraine and the National Radio Company of Ukraine when 60 days are left before the election date. This information will be publicized at the expenses of the State Budget.

There has been specified by Yaroslav Davydovich, head of the Central Election Committee, that the norm which permits the distribution of goods with party names and symbols has been foreseen by the Law “On elections of peoples’ deputies”, yet the previous elections did not let any distribution of goods and services

20.   Main political parties' leaders likely to participate in stabilization process in Ukraine

National Radio of Ukraine
January 25, 2006

As Ivan Vasiunyk, Presidential Secretariat First Deputy Head, said at a news briefing today, Viktor Yushchenko hopes that Socialist Party leader Oleksandr Moroz, BYUT leader Yuliya Tymoshenko and Speaker Volodymyr Lytvyn will support the President's plan to stabilize the political situation in Ukraine.

He also stated his opinion that after a series of consultations Verkhovna Rada Chairman Volodymyr Lytvyn appears interested in launching a constructive dialogue and so may be ready to take steps toward stabilizing the political situation. Other political forces are ready for this. Moreover, many political forces have stated their intention to participate in the stabilization process, including Oleksandr Moroz and Yuliya Tymoshenko.

21.   Viktor Yanukovich , Viktor Yushchenko and Yulia Tymoshenko named most popular figures among Ukrainian politicians

National Radio of Ukraine
January 25, 2006

According to the Razumkov Center's sociological survey, they are the three most popular figures among Ukrainian politicians. The Regions Party keeps its lead as the electorate's most supported.

According to the survey, 17.7 percent of the pollees view Ukraine as moving in the right direction, though 62.3 percent of the respondents hold the opposite opinion. The Parliament's resolution to sack the Government drew the respondents' basically negative reaction.

22.   SPU leader Moroz sees Regions Party in future majority coalition in next Rada with 'orange' parties

Interfax-Ukraine
January 25, 2006

Socialist Party of Ukraine leader Oleksandr Moroz, one of the leaders of Ukraine's Orange Revolution, says a future majority coalition in the parliament may include not only pro-power "orange" parties, but also parties regarded today as opposition, including the Regions Party headed by Viktor Yanukovych, the losing candidate at the presidential elections 2004 in Ukraine.

"The majority will be formed. Probably, the core of the majority will include the parties of the Maidan, metaphorically speaking. In my opinion, the majority will include some those who regard themselves as opposition. The Regions Party for example. This will facilitate easing tension along the'East-West' line," he said at an Internet conference on the website of the Ukrainska Pravda on Wednesday.

23.   BYT Criticizing Our Ukraine For Setting Terms On Distribution Of Offices After Rada Elections
Ukrainian News
January 25, 2006

The Bloc of Yulia Tymoshenko is criticizing the Our Ukraine bloc of parties for setting terms for the distribution of key offices in signing the agreement on the creation of a parliamentary coalition after the Verkhovna Rada elections.

One of the BYT leaders, Mykola Tomenko, said this at a press conference.

In his words, the BYT received a letter signed by one of Our Ukraine leaders, Roman Bezsmertnyi, to which there is an addenda on ten pages listing all of the key government posts.

Our Ukraine proposes that the political forces ready to form a coalition distribute posts in concluding the agreement.

Tomenko said the BYT is against this proposal.

"We earn our counterparts against this sharing," Tomenko said.

In his words, as regards the distribution of posts, there is no sense to hold parliamentary elections.

In its turn, the BYT proposes concluding an agreement outlining the general principles of forming the coalition.

Among them Tomenko called return to the government property of illegally privatized enterprises, denunciation of the Ukrainian-Russian gas contract of January 4, non-alignment with the coalition of political forces calling for the country's federalization and making separatist statements, as well as a number of others.

According to Tomenko, the BYT is calling for the formation in the first place of the general principles of the coalition.

According to Tomenko, it is necessary to determine the principles of forming the government in keeping with the results of the parliamentary elections.

As Ukrainian News reported, on December 30, 2005, President Viktor Yushchenko said he did not favor the idea of parties and blocs setting preliminary conditions, including claims for government posts, in formation of a coalition in the new parliament.

After the new wording of the parliamentary election law takes force, as well as the new wording of the Constitution on January 1, the elections to parliament will proceed on a proportionate basis, which envisages that the Ukrainian citizens are electing the parliament voting for some or other political party.

The Cabinet of Ministers is formed by a collation including over 225 Rada deputies.

26.   Yuriy Yekhanurov: You can’t warm Ukraine with a heart from a billboard

Press Service of Our Ukraine Electoral Bloc
January 26, 2006

“You can’t warm Ukraine with a heart from a billboard – Ukraine’s Prime Minister Yuriy Yekahnurov commented on Yulia Tymoshenko’s attacks at the government during a press conference for regional and all-Ukrainian media.

Commenting on Tymoshenko’s position, Mr. Yekhanurov noted: “We could appeal to the Stockholm court. But look at the thermometer outdoors. Only people sitting in the conference hall of the Stockholm court would feel good without Russian gas. People need real warmth, you can’t warm them with a heart from a billboard”.

Mr. Yekhanurov has also called the message on Ukraine allegedly stealing gas the next information war. At that he admitted Ukraine had increased gas consumption. According to him, gas consumption is 427 million cubic meters per day; population consumes 161 million cubic meters. It is by 70 million more than population consumed when the temperature was zero degrees.