The Majority: Take 2

As was expected, Tuesday’s session at the Verkhovna Rada began with an announcement of the creation of a parliamentary majority. It is made up of 231 deputies, including the fractions known as the ‘nine’, 10 of the 16 nonaligned deputies and several deputies from opposition fractions. For obvious reasons it was these last individuals which journalists and the parliamentarians themselves were interested in above all. According to Speaker Volodymyr Lytvyn, three members of the Yuliya Tymoshenko Bloc – Petro Tolochko, Vasyl Onopenko, and Serhiy Pravdenko; two members of the Communist Party faction – Oleh Blokhin and Vadym Lytvyn; as well as one deputy from Our Ukraine-Vladyslav Atroshenko, signed statements on joining the majority. Although the representative of Our Ukraine subsequently withdrew his signature. Of the unaligned members, the majority included Oleksandr Bilovol, Volodymyr Boiko, Hennady Vasylyev, Oleksandr Volkov, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Serhiy Kasianov, Serhiy Matviyenkov, Anatoly Mokrousov, Volodymyr Syvkovych, and Stanislav Stashevsky. For the most part these deputies were left over from the For a United Ukraine bloc which dispersed due to lack of numbers. Several deputies, who joined the majority from the opposition camp, left their own fractions. Several became nonaligned; Vadym Lytvyn joined the Party of Industrialsts and Entrepreneurs/Trudova Ukrayina, while Oleh Blokhin joined the Social Democratic Party (United).

The reaction to the lost members was different for each fraction. The Communists swallowed the bitter pill remaining outwardly fairly calm. Simultaneously, the Yuliya Tymoshenko-ites were, as always, extremely emotional and unrestrained. Yuliya Tymoshenko and Oleksandr Turchynov made accusation of the bribery of deputies, calling the departure from their fraction as “betrayal, which will not go unpunished.” An interesting situation arose about people’s deputy Vasyl Onopenko in particular. On being asked by The Day’s correspondent about the possible motives for joining the majority Yuliya Tymoshenko answered, “The departure of Vasyl Onopenko [from our bloc] is related to his candidacy for high court judge, which is to be put forward. The action was agreed in full with the fraction.” Further Ms. Tymoshenko stated that Vasyl Onopenko had not joined the parliamentary majority, but his departure from the fraction “simply coincided in time with the announcement of the majority”. Deputy Onopenko himself in conversation with journalists said something rather different. He confirmed that he intended to become a high court judge, in connection with which he was even considering leaving post of head Ukrainian Social-Democratic party. However, he refuted Tymoshenko’s version that he was not going to join the majority. As his reason for joining with the majority Mr Onopenko pointed to “the need to work”. In other words, on this occasion Yuliya Volodymyrivna tried to distract journalists from the truth. Her situation, however, may be understood. Especially, if the touching picture is recalled of the pre-election Yuliya Tymoshenko Bloc presentation when the leadership was photographed, and the single woman among the five leaders expressed the hope that “my men won’t betray me”.

In their interviews with journalists last Tuesday, representatives of the minority continued to reiterate the fact of the “creation of false and frail majority,” since, in their opinion, 231 votes was insufficient to guarantee the passing of decisions. At the same time all representatives of the opposition, who managed to answer The Day’s question of “Are you sure that tomorrow another of your fraction colleagues will not join the fraction”? answered in one voice, “No!” To be fair we should note that the permanent representative of the President in parliament Oleksandr Zadorozhny also confessed that the present majority did not have one hundred percent vitality. The first presentation of the majority in action – in voting, that is – turned out to be unsuccessful: not one from posed questions gathered 226 supporters.

It must be noted that the question of who joined is not the only interesting one – the question of who did not join is also worth looking at. The ex-speaker Ivan Plushch – who was during the last sitting of parliament put on a pedestal by the majority created in time of the so called “velvet revolution” – did not join. Neither did today’s speaker, the head of pre-election power block For United Ukraine Volodymyr Lytvyn. Nevertheless, Bolsheviks do not make tragedy from the failed ‘baptisms of fire’. Firstly, many explained the lack of votes by the fact that Tuesday is not the day of voting and on account of this, deputies did not rush to the session chamber. Secondly, the ‘Bolsheviks’ have already began to show a definite reserve. In the words of coordinator of the majority, Oleksandr Karpov, as well as the 231 petitions for registering there is another series of petitions from deputies, whose names have so far been kept secret. As Mykhailo Papiyev, a member of SDPU(o), told The Day’s correspondent, in the near future 3-4 deputies will be added to the ranks of their fraction alone, allowing it to reach 40-41 members.

P.S.

Algorithm of Parliamentary Rotations

Verkhovna Rada First Deputy Speaker Hennadiy Vasyliev and Deputy Speaker Oleksandr Zinchenko will keep their posts after the re-apportioning of parliamentary seats by the majority, Oleksandr Karpov, coordinator of the parliamentary majority coordinating council, told journalists in an October 9 interview following the council meeting. According to Karpov, the majority reaffirmed its intention not to lower any members of the majority in rank. Thus, most likely, deputies from among the majority currently acting as deputy speakers or heads of committees will retain their posts, reports Interfax-Ukraine. Mr. Karpov also declared that draft proposals have been prepared for the redistribution of parliamentary committees and a general redistribution procedure has been approved. As regards the formation of the government, according to Mr. Karpov, all the relevant documents are nearing completion. He also reminded journalists that a decision has been taken to consider the issue of the redistribution of parliamentary committees in the first place and only afterwards will the majority take up issues regarding the formation of a government. According to Bohdan Hubsky, co-chairman of the People’s Power faction, under the adopted procedure the posts of heads of the “most popular” committees have been assessed on a 1 to 4 point scale. In the second group of “popular” committees the post of the head is assessed on a 1 to 2 point scale. Heads of “unpopular” committees have received 1 point each. The post of the budget committee head has been apportioned 2 points. Mr. Hubsky also made clear that the posts of first deputy heads of committees are assessed “at half the value of posts of committee heads.” He further stressed that the reapportioning will also affect the posts in banks’ supervisory councils which have been assessed at 0.5 points each. Posts of members in the National Council for Television and Radio Broadcasting are valued at 0.5 points each and the post of special oversight committee chairman at 1 point.

COMMENTARY

Yuly IOFFE, Party of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs/Trudova Ukraiyna:

“There is the understanding that some of the deputies are disordered. They are used to the fact that we only vote on Thursday. So they go through the rest of the days haphazardly. Some sit here, in parliament, and watch the session on television in their office. When the voting is announced they don’t, of course, break into a run. I think, on Thursdays we will gather together. It would also be appropriate to revive experience from the time of the ‘velvet revolution’, when the following norm was established: if a deputy cannot attend a session, he conveys his vote to a colleague, signing that he agrees with what is being voted on. Such changes to regulations could heighten the effectiveness of voting.”

Yuliya TYMOSHENKO, Yuliya Tymoshenko Bloc:

“Practically all of our deputies were approached. They were offered from 150 to 200 thousand dollars. For those who agreed, it’s on their conscience. But let them know, God sees everything!”

Oleksandr ZADOROZHNY, Permanent Representative of the President of Ukraine in Verkhovna Rada:

“The accusation of bribery of deputies to persuade them to go over to the majority, which is being heard from the lips of several fervent oppositionists, simply amazes me. Look at Deputy Serhiy Pravdenko, who I respect a lot. Just as five years ago he only had one suit, today he only has one suit. If someone believes, that Mr. Pravdenko can be bought, let them say it. It seems to me, in relation to such people, as Serhiy Pravdenko and Petro Tolochko, such things are simply impossible and those who know these deputies will agree with me. On the other hand, if they had money problems or if they needed a Mercedes, surely the leader of the Tymoshenko Bloc has enough of each. And how could Oleh Blokhin be bought? He is the pride of the nation, of world fame. Why would he sell himself for money?”

Adam MARTYNIUK, Communist Party Fraction:

“From Oleh Blokhin my friends and I did not expect such conduct. After all no one forced him to join the Communist Party Fraction to begin with. In my opinion, he has canceled everything good that has done for 50 years.”