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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

Prime Minister Fails to Persuade NDP Leader

27 April, 1999 - 00:00

By Iryna HAVRYLOVA, The Day

Valery Pustovoitenko told journalists in Kherson that the NDP intends to
support Leonid Kuchma in the coming elections, reports Interfax Ukraine.
The Premier added that this decision was motivated, inter alia,
by the fact that practically all regional NDP organizations at their political
executive committee meetings moved in favor of the current President, so
NDP leader Anatoly Matviyenko "cannot" decide otherwise.

Meanwhile Mr. Matviyenko told The Day that "not everything is
actually as definite as the Premier attempts to present it. On the other
hand, if Mr. Pustovoitenko says so he must have his reasons." Indeed, he
has, considering that "there are enough people in the leadership of regional
NDP organizations who occupy responsible and important posts in executive
structures."

Volodymyr Filenko admitted that currently the situation in the regions
is such that in private conversation local party leaders voice doubts about
the wisdom of backing Leonid Kuchma, but that objective and subjective
factors will force them to do so. At the district level, the NDP situation
is entirely different, but it is difficult to give these anti-Kuchma institutional
expression.

However, despite this "internal slavery," the NDP's nomenklatura segment
actually does not want a rift, as much as the democrats, and no personal
example given by Mr. Pustovoitenko will make them change their attitude.
"The Premier will not walk around collecting millions of signature," say
oblast and district party functionaries. Perhaps many of them realize that
if the final breakup occurs the NDP structure will find themselves under
double or even triple strain, since "there is an increasing number of 'parties
in power' like SDPU(u), Labor Ukraine, and so on," said Mr. Filenko.

That the NDP nomenklatura is afraid of a rift is evidenced by the desire
of a number of regional party leaders to pass a "soft," halfway resolution
at the next convention: nominating and supporting no one in the May leg
of the presidential race, then see what is what after all the candidates
have been nominated and registered, selecting the one best suiting the
NDP. At least this is what People's Deputy Serhiy Pidhorny, member of the
Coordinating Council, proposes. However, there are serious doubts about
whether this tactic will work, considering that those in power need a certain
turnout of definite ayes. Yet a resolution unambiguously supporting Leonid
Kuchma would mean a sure rift, Mr. Filenko believes. They are now looking
for "other formulas for a convention resolution," yet the choice is limited,
as in an old fairy tale: turn right and you will your horse (i.e., the
party); turn left and you lose your head.

In the party leader's words, "if we decide to support Kuchma this will
mean the end of the party, because if the President wins his shadow entourage
will  turn the NDP into a puppet on a string; if Kuchma loses the
party will be reduced to powder by the people's wrath, and no one will
vote for NDP in 2002."

 

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