Will Harmony-2 Match Yedinstvo’s Success?

Against the backdrop of other parties’ recent conventions, the People’s Democratic Party (NDP) sixth congress definitely stands alone due to its absolute lack of anything out of the ordinary. Not a single newcomer to the party’s leadership circle, with Valery Pustovoitenko reelected, as expected, unanimously and without any rival. His second- in- command will be Kyiv’s Deputy Major Anatoly Tolstoukhov and Verkhovna Rada majority coordinator Oleksandr Karpov. Similarly to Labor Ukraine Party and the New Centrists (a coalition of 5 centrist parties) before, the NDP has declared Centrism as a pivotal political idea for unification.

The People’s Democrats convention did, after all, have its high points. Like other Ukrainian parties, the NDP is actively muscle building for the 2002 parliamentary election. Calling itself the kernel for all democratic forces in Ukraine, the NDP urges other parties to rally round the incumbent President, saying it is ready to become the ruling party, not just beside those in power, Pustovoitenko declared in his address at the convention. According to him, an all-Ukrainian coalition of democratic forces, Zlahoda (Harmony), with the NDP as its heavy hitter, could play a role in the forthcoming parliamentary elections similar to the one played by Russia’s Yedinstvo in 1999. Yedinstvo, or the Bear, as it was dubbed by the press, was able to show its very strong administrative resources, being the party of governors and those in power. In the last parliamentary elections, the NDP, although clearly reminiscent of Yedinstvo, managed to garner a mere 5% of the votes, and this was followed by a split in the party. In the aftermath of last year’s presidential elections and Premier Pustovoitenko’s resignation, the party has lost most of its administrative resource, while its caucus in parliament has shrunk to 20 deputies. True, there are such big leaguers among the NDP members as Verkhovna Rada Speaker Ivan Pliushch, parliamentary majority whip Oleksandr Karpov, President Kuchma’s representative in parliament Roman Bezsmertny and Kyiv’s Deputy Major Tolstoukhov. Unlike Russia, Ukraine has none of them, Pustovoitenko said, speaking jokingly to journalists.

On the eve of its convention, the NDP signed a declaration on strategic partnership with the Party of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs of Ukraine. A similar deal was struck during the convention with the Democratic Party, sparking a comment by Pustovoitenko that NDP and the Democrats are “the parties that have been destined to merge into a single political entity.” This was the kind of unification the NDP has sought, Pustovoitenko admitted to The Day. For other parties wishing to join the coalition, the NDP convention has reserved ten seats on its political council. According to the Democratic Party of Ukraine Chairperson Hanna Antonieva, the declaration of partnership with the NDP marks the completion of a unification process begun at the grassroots. Yet, to get into parliament, all the NDP’s present partners are unlikely to win enough votes on their own.

Talks on signing similar unification agreements with the Interregional Block for Reform, Agrarians, Republican Christian Party and with Regional Revival-Labor Solidarity of Ukraine coalition of parties are currently ongoing, Pustovoitenko told journalists. He also spoke about plans to join forces with the Labor Ukraine and the Social Democrats (united). In a related move, head of the Ukrainian Popular Movement (Rukh) Yuri Kostenko has declared his plans to cooperate with the NDP. Kostenko had so far rejected a marriage proposal from Udovenko’s Rukh, Congress of Ukrainian Nationalists, and Reforms and Order block, saying he wants to consult with the Batkivshchyna Party first. As Oleksandr Lavrynovych, member of Udovenko’s Rukh caucus in Verkhovna Rada, confirmed to The Day, “Both the decision and the wish was theirs. They must have held some talks.” According to Lavrynovych, however, Udovenko’s Rukh has not considered its cooperation with the NDP as yet. Incidentally, both Kostenko and Solidarity’s leader Petro Poroshenko attended the NDP convention.

Still, entering a coalition and drawing up a single party list with these parties will not be all that easy, Pustovoitenko stressed, while pledging tolerance for the NDP’s partners.

While also calling for all to rally round the NDP, Kyiv Mayor Oleksandr Omelchenko nonetheless kept silent about whether he will join the party or not.

The NDP is set on staging a convincing victory in the forthcoming parliamentary elections, having enough ammunition to score a high vote, Pustovoitenko stressed, addressing the convention. Answering The Day’s question, NDP Deputy Chairman Oleksandr Karpov said his party, in line with its charter, will opt for the proportional election system or at least for a mixed one, simultaneously stating NDP’s opposition to the majority election system. At the same time Karpov reiterated, the NDP wants the current 5% election threshold lowered, as it might curtail the chances of many political parties seeking representation in the legislature. President Kuchma has earlier stressed that he is in favor of the proportional system and a lower threshold, given the formation of a bicameral Verkhovna Rada. A serious political party “should be prepared to clear any hurdles, both in the elections and in other areas,” another NDP deputy chairman, Anatoly Tolstoukhov declared. NDP will also support a bill whereby a lawmaker elected on a party list has to resign his seat upon leaving the party caucus in the legislature.

Speaking at the press conference on NDP’s attitude toward the current government, Pustovoitenko said, “We have always been and will be the government’s ally,” continuing that the NDP is always ready to “lend a helping hand” to the government. This does not mean the government should be considered beyond criticism. NDP has never undertaken a commitment to give 100% support, NDP Deputy Chairman Karpov stressed, adding there will not be any unconditional support. Each step taken by the government should be assessed separately, he said.

Simultaneously, Pustovoitenko insisted on radical changes in the government’s policy, following its failure to speed up economic reform and secure higher living standards. The present government has lost control over the economy, it is not unanimous over major policy issues and shows poor performance in developing cooperation with Russia and the West, he added.

A resolution adopted by the NDP convention urges the implementation of changes in the Constitution approved in the April referendum. Verkhovna Rada Speaker Ivan Pliushch, addressing the convention, said cautiously that this issue is unlikely to be solved at the present session of parliament like, in his opinion, approving a bicameral legislature will require serious changes in the Constitution. He added that he is confident the lawmakers will enact the appropriate presidential bills.

All the trappings of a high-profile party conclave were there, including metal detectors at the gates, a welcoming message from the president, and a large force of delegates, albeit with a very low number of young representatives. On the surface, nothing indicated that the NDP has turned the corner on a complex period of its existence and that the NDP is still to prove its ability to become a truly people’s party, as was declared at the convention. “We have never rejected the possibility of reaching an agreement on joint coordinated efforts of the NDP with Labor Ukraine and NDP caucuses well on the way to a joint platform and our political priorities matching. If our party starts looking for political partners, it is without doubt one of the likely candidates for this team,” Labor Ukraine caucus leader Ihor Sharov told The Day.