Contesting a Score of 76 to 16?

Serhiy Odarych, a professional lawyer, considers that "everything depends on the Presidential Administration's stand, since the judiciary has never become independent of the executive." Mr. Odarych is convinced that, once "Leonid Kuchma's entourage bets on Surkis the court will undoubtedly rule in his favor. In such case the 221st electoral district scenario will be played out on a citywide scale."

There has been adequate indirect evidence to expect precisely this finale to the mayoral saga. For example, Mr. Surkis's election manager Leonid Kravchuk was surprised and put it aptly, saying that Oleksandr Omelchenko "who swore his love for the President and declared that it would be immoral to think of electing anyone except Leonid Kuchma suddenly chose as his agents persons with anti-presidential [sic - Ed.] ideas."

Incidentally, the Green were the first to intimate that Mr. Omelchenko is no longer in good odor with the President two months ago, and that could be a change in the "mayor at law" vector in the executive direction. It was at that period that the current mayor spoke especially warmly of the Speaker, saying he had the right idea about the law on the capital city. After the mayoral election results became officially known Oleksandr Tkachenko reciprocated, greeting Oleksandr Omelchenko in a manner making one wonder about their alliance growing stronger.

Mr. Surkis has also turned to the Supreme Court, a change of venue from Starokyivsky (Old Kyiv) District to Vyshhorod Town Court, charging the district court with bias.

The capital's popular political parties, rallying round Mr. Omelchenko, came out in support of the result's legitimacy. Their joint statement "In Defense of the Kyivans' Choice" was signed by the leaders of Reforms and Order, both Rukh factions, Open Politics, and the Peasant Party. "We are worried by the attempt to revise the results of the elections in Kyiv and ignore the residents' choice. The fact of transferring the case to Vyshhorod reminds one of a well-rehearsed scenario worked out by clans and oligarchs," reads the statement. The authors have their own democratic methods to counterpoise to such oligarchic techniques. Messrs. Sobolev and Udovenko are convinced that their bloc will be able to appeal from the Supreme Court's ruling to the Constitutional Court and apply parliamentary vehicles. Serhiy Sobolev formulated the main intrigue: Oleksandr Omelchenko will find himself "hanging in air" as protracted hearings drag on, thus ruling out his taking an independent stand in the presidential campaign.

Most leaders signing the above statement, one should note, oppose Mr. Omelchenko's more or less consistent pro-presidential stand. However, the Left and Right equally need a "guarantor of democratic elections in Kyiv this October" and have one by one come to bet on the current mayor.

Although the United Social Democrats are obviously vying for city campaign control levers, this does not mean that they will play in to Leonid Kuchma's hand. According to Anatoly Matviyenko, "come September, SDPU(o)'s and Leonid Kuchma's interests will diverge and the party will bank on the leader in the race."