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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

A Revolt of the Rukh Nomenklatura

13 November, 2012 - 00:00

While Chornovil said that Rukh opponents (like The Day and Zerkalo nedeli) would be glad to see a split in Rukh, in fact the People's Movement of Ukraine is a “healthy political force.” In order not to be blamed once more by the former dissident for undermining the situation, The Day will retell what Chornovil had to say about the “rebels.”

They are mainly in Lviv and represent a “pragmatic trend” in the organization. They have cast stones at the idealists to whom Chornovil includes himself. The pragmatists would like Chornovil to help them register as natural gas traders, but the head of the party opposes doing business.

In this respect quite characteristic is Chornovil's statement that “Marchuk governed the country worse than did Lazarenko” although the latter “also did not forget about himself.” Such “constructive opposition” sympathy for Pavlo Lazarenko, whose image is indissoluble from United Energy Systems of Ukraine, a former gas trader, urges one to recall the break-up in the right parliamentary opposition that took place during the Speaker's election: Rukh's leader was said to have reached an agreement with Hromada behind the back of the bloc of four factions.

The “rebels” have been tempted by other candidates for the presidency (perhaps, Yevhen Marchuk, Oleksandr Moroz, or Yuri Kostenko whom the Lviv regional Rukh branch recently hinted it might support) who would win over Rukh voters (according to Chornovil, Rukh is supported by 500,000 citizens in Lviv oblast). Rukh itself does not support such democratic candidates and will select a single candidature from the national-democrats.

INCIDENTALLY

On Sunday the Rukh Secretariat decided to put forward the presidential candidacy of People’s Deputy Bohdan Boiko, an economist who has served as head of the Ternopil Rukh organization. The decision was seen as rather strange, especially after party leader Chornovil stated that the polls indicated that he was Rukh’s strongest possible vote-getter for the nation’s top spot. While Boiko’s chances seem about zero, his gaining the nod may be intended to quiet the internal party opposition. Chornovil told Stolichnye novosti (No. 34), “Of course, in the primary we will support our own candidate. But if Kuchma winds up in the runoff facing a leftist, then we will have no choice but to support the current President.” In reality, by putting forth its own dark horse, Rukh seems to have sidestepped its current controversy over whether or not the back President Kuchma and what will be the price?

 

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