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Where there is no law, but every man does what is right in his own eyes, there is the least of real liberty
Henry M. Robert

President Publicly Woos Mayor

13 July, 1999 - 00:00

By Volodymyr ZOLOTARIOV, The Day

Leonid Kuchma recently said he took a "negative" view of the legal action
initiated by former mayoral candidate Hryhory Surkis against Kyiv Mayor
Oleksandr Omelchenko.

The President stressed he "had shown" his attitude to the Kyivans' choice
"in fact the very next day by appointing Mr. Omelchenko head of the administration...
One should have the courage to face defeat. If you've lost, shake hands
and mind your own business," Mr. Kuchma said.

Simultaneously, he admitted he "was quietly negotiating with both sides
in order to end a struggle nobody needs," Interfax-Ukraine reports.

Let us note up front that Mr. Kuchma, to put it mildly, is not a neutral
figure in the Surkis/Omelchenko conflict. Many observers think that Mr.
Surkis, one of the leaders of the pro-presidential SDPU(o), would not have
taken part in the elections without a blessing from on high, a blessing
involving both moral and organizational support. At the same time, during
the election, the head of state took a typical stand: not to disclose in
public his preference (he may also have broken other promises, but nothing
is known for certain about it).

It is not known how seriously Mr. Surkis expected to win. What is evident
is the debacle, which all predictions considered inevitable, provoked much
vexation, resulting in the lawsuit against Mr. Omelchenko. Mr. Surkis's
action after an election in which Mr. Omelchenko also won a moral victory
could not possibly add to the authority of a President whose protОgО Mr.
Surkis is in one way or another considered to be. This is one of the possible
reasons for the chief executive's stab at peacemaking. The other reason
perhaps lies in the President's wish to join the winning side. Mr. Omelchenko
is much more independent now than before, and his attitude will play a
major role in the outcome of the October presidential vote in Kyiv. Let
us note the quite eloquent fact that the President was looking for whom
to join. In any case, both Mr. Omelchenko and Mr. Surkis can feel themselves
how reliable President's support is.

People's Deputy Hryhory Omelchenko, who withdrew his mayoral
candidacy in favor of Oleksandr Omelchenko, commented on the President's
desire to reconcile Mr. Surkis with Mr. Omelchenko by a song line: "Where
have you been before? Who did you kiss?" Lawmaker Omelchenko reminded The
Day's Tetiana SHULHACH that he had withdrawn his candidacy in
favor of the current mayor in exchange for the latter's commitment to greet
the coming vote under the slogan of removing Mr. Kuchma from office. According
to the People's Deputy, the President's utterances are "hints to gain Mayor
Omelchenko's sympathy."

Leonid Kravchuk, Mr. Surkis's campaign manager in the mayoral elections,
in an interview with The Day, expressed indignation at Mr. Kuchma's
interference in the case. "It is not the President but Surkis who went
to court, so it is not the President who will solve this problem," Mr.
Kravchuk said, adding that the President "has nothing to do with the third,
judicial, branch of power." According to Mr. Kravchuk, only Mr. Surkis
himself and the SDPU(o) can decide whether or not to withdraw the suit,
and "the President will have no influence here." Mr. Kravchuk believes
the President should not interfere. "This is not something for the President
to discuss in public," Mr. Kravchuk added.

 

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