PLIUSHCH’S TIME
Last Thursday the parliamentary majority took one more step toward a joint decision on the package election of a new parliamentary leadership. Verkhovna Rada Deputy Speaker Viktor Medvedchuk released a statement that he was withdrawing his candidacy for the post of Speaker and called upon Deputies to support that of Ivan Pliushch. He justified his decision by “being aware of the danger of a new Speaker saga.”
Deputy Oleksandr Volkov (Regional Renaissance) called Mr. Medvedchuk’s action a “political feat.” On the other hand, Mr. Pliushch may be a compromise figure which can currently suit all factions. Yet, the tough style of guidance Mr. Medvedchuk showed during the majority sessions would have been, of course, a big plus... as well as a big minus. For the iron grip of last Thursday’s No. 1 candidate might have frightened away his majority allies.
It is difficult to even imagine who forced Medvedchuk to decide to withdraw his candidacy for the Speaker’s post, but the lineup of Speaker Pliushch (NDP), First Deputy Speaker Medvedchuk (SDPU[o]), and Deputy Speaker Havrysh (Revival of the Regions) seems very balanced. Fate has smiled quite independently of the political constellation of forces in Parliament on a politician whose allegiance to Pustovoitenko’s People’s Democratic team is mainly a formality. And the two most important lobbies in Verkhovna Rada (United Social Democrats [united] and Regional Revival) have been legalized as having about equal status. Electing Yuri Kostenko (Rukh) second Deputy Speaker was not seriously considered given Oleksandr Volkov’s “ironclad argument” in favor of Havrysh.
Majority coordinator Leonid Kravchuk informed that representatives of the majority and minority had held talks last Thursday to specify their positions. According to Mr. Kravchuk, the Left’s position is not homogeneous. While the Socialists and Peasants sought a compromise decision, representatives of KPU and PSPU insisted on canceling all the majority decisions made in Ukraine House. Mr. Kravchuk characterized these demands as totally unacceptable and stressed that the majority decisions to dismiss Oleksandr Tkachenko and Adam Martyniuk from their posts were “absolutely constitutional and legitimate,” “If the Left thinks otherwise, let it turn to the Constitutional Court instead of pressing their views on us,” he said. “Let it be the way it decides; we are certain to obey.” Mr. Kravchuk added, “the Left minority failed to choose a coordinator of its own, so they will delegate four persons, one from each Left faction, for further talks.”
Meanwhile, according to SPU leader Oleksandr Moroz, both sessions — of the Right majority in Ukraine House and of the Left in Verkhovna Rada — are “illegitimate.” He thinks this allows the President to dissolve Verkhovna Rada after February 16 (under the Constitution, the President has the right to dissolve Parliament in case deputies fail to assemble for session within thirty days). The Socialist leader assessed as “quite realistic” the candidature of Mr. Pliushch for the post of Speaker, but he stressed that Mr. Tkachenko still remains the legitimate representative of Parliament.
“These are all fairy-tales from Hans Christian Anderson,” Deputy Oleksandr Volkov commented on Mr. Moroz’s statement about a possible dissolution of Verkhovna Rada on February 16.
In any case, none of the lawmakers can currently predict the way the first meeting of Verkhovna Rada’s fifth session will go.
