Lesson for Omelchenko and Authorities

President of Ukraine Leonid Kuchma has canceled his own decree on temporary suspension of Oleksandr Omelchenko from his post of Kyiv City Administration Head. As Andriy Chyrva, the Acting Head of the Presidential Information and Public Relations Agency told the Interfax-Ukraine news agency, the presidential decree’s enacting clause says that it has been issued “following Oleksandr Omelchenko’s request to recall him from his leave” which he had initially taken “for the period of the election campaign”. Leonid Kuchma said on Tuesday, commenting on his decision at journalists’ requests, that he had made the decision after his meeting with Oleksandr Omelchenko late Monday. “I had another meeting yesterday with Oleksandr Oleksandrovych [Omelchenko] and I came to a conclusion that in this situation it would be better this way,” – L.Kuchma said. He stressed at the same time that “every one has to draw conclusions.” “I think Oleksandr Oleksandrovych understands that now you just can’t do anything brandishing your saber on a horse. You’ve got to do your job, not politics, the politics from which no one gets satisfaction or anything positive,” – the president said.

So the discussion of “social issues and the target figures of Kyiv’s social development in the first quarter of this year” – that was, according to Omelchenko, what was to be discussed during the meeting at the Presidential Administration – must have ended in a certain consensus between the president and the mayor. What consensus – we can only guess, but observers tend to believe that from now on Omelchenko’s Yednist [Ukrainian for Unity, the election bloc led by Omelchenko] will give every support (even if it may harm its own interests) to the For a United Ukraine [pro-presidential election bloc] led by Volodymyr Lytvyn [presidential chief of staff]. Up to forming a coalition in the future parliament – of course if the mayor’s party wins seats there.

But things are not that simple. This precedent has vividly demonstrated to the executive vertical (and the public at large): one can ignore the President’s decrees and still “stay afloat,” only by scaling down his political ambitions. Prime Minister Anatoly Kinakh was put in the cart: he announced the presidential decree on Omelchenko’s temporary suspension and on the appointment of Ihor Shovkun Acting City Administration Head. And Presidential Administration Head Volodymyr Lytvyn who immediately dissociated himself from drafting the document got off as a winner. Why then do we still wonder why the reputation of our authorities is far from ideal? Should it mean that one can take time carrying out the president’s orders?