“Diversion:” The Communists Help Deal Another Blow to Ukraine’s Interests
Last Friday parliament was the scene of several important events that one way or another are linked to the current political crisis: a political decision to pull out the Ukrainian peacekeeping force from Iraq, the mass withdrawal of deputies from Labor Ukraine, one of the leading pro-governmental factions, and the Socialist leader Oleksandr Moroz’s bid for premiership now that parliament has passed a vote of no confidence in the Yanukovych cabinet. In an attempt to overcome the political crisis that erupted after the presidential runoff, the deputies even forsook their legitimate weekend and resolved to work on the coming Saturday and Sunday.
The candidacy of Moroz as the next prime minister was moved by his fellow party member Yury Lutsenko. In his view, parliament must urgently form a new coalition government on the basis of an accord that calls for political reform, effective from January 1, 2006. Do the Socialists seriously hope to get this coveted office or is this proposal just one of the points in the political bargaining going on with various political forces that support Viktor Yushchenko? Political scientists are inclined to accept the latter.
The withdrawal of ten Labor Ukraine deputies, including faction leader Ihor Sharov, was in fact not much of a sensation. Exoduses from pro-governmental factions and groups have been routine in the past few days. One of those who quit, Oleksandr Yedyn, said that he took this step because of the Labor Ukraine party’s vague ideology, as well as his disagreement with party leader Serhiy Tyhypko’s decision to resign as National Bank chairman. Mr. Yedyn noted that so far the deputies who quit the Labor Ukraine faction do not intend to join the “orange people” (Yushchenko’s followers — Ed.); they just want to side with the people and do not mind taking part in forming a new majority. Moreover, the people’s deputy did not rule out a replacement of the Labor Ukraine leadership and even a split. Word spread in the parliamentary corridors that the newly independent deputies (nine out of ten ex-Labor Ukraine members, with the tenth, Yedyn, joining Hubsky’s United Ukraine), like the ones who switched sides a few days before, “were going over to Yushchenko.”
The vote to recall the Ukrainian peacekeeping force from Iraq is an event that many analysts link with domestic policy factors. Yet it is sure to cause an international ripple. True, this parliamentary resolution does not mean an immediate withdrawal of troops: under the Constitution, it is the president who makes the final decision. The resolution states that, in connection with the acute deterioration of the situation in the Republic of Iraq, parliament proposes that President Leonid Kuchma of Ukraine recall the Ukrainian peacekeepers. Two hundred and fifty-seven deputies voted for the motion. This resolution was initiated by the Communists and seconded mainly by the pro-presidential factions, although the Right opposition also cast a few dozen votes. Yury Kostenko, leader of the Ukrainian People’s Party, Our Ukraine faction, called this resolution a “political trick” aimed at making Western countries reduce their support for the Ukrainian democratic opposition. The deputy also said he was sure President Kuchma would not endorse this resolution and explained that some of his fellow party members voted “for” because the faction was unable to get along.
Asked by The Day to comment on the Verkhovna Rada resolution to withdraw the peacekeeping force from Iraq, People’s Deputy Oleh Zarubinsky, first vice-chairman of the parliamentary committee for European integration, said: “This was an attempt to divert parliament’s attention from the burning issues of the current political crisis. Maybe, they thought this would spark a heated debate. But things turned out differently: the deputies voted and that was the end of it. This is the ‘technological’ side of the matter. As for its essence, President Kuchma is now in quite a quandary. He must now react and make a decision to pull the contingent out of Iraq, but in doing so he will discredit himself in the eyes of the Americans. If he does nothing, this will raise the question why Regions of Ukraine and other pro- presidential factions voted for this resolution. By ignoring this parliamentary decision, President Kuchma runs the risk of disgracing himself in the eyes of the parliamentarians who seem to be backing him. In other words, the deputies who voted ‘for’ did the president a questionable favor.”
