They can when they want to

The date of elections to the capital’s city council is only in the process of being confirmed. Verkhovna Rada has recently approved the draft decree “On appointment the new elections of Kyiv City councillors and head of the KMDA” (for June 2). The power and the opposition are getting closer. And again, this is a conditionality. The first voting for the abovementioned decree failed, because the opposition wanted to approve its full version: they lacked votes (the indicator board showed 179). They had to come to consensus.

As a result the decree was approved only in the first reading. Overall, 293 MPs out of 365 present have voted. They decided, as a compromise, to halve the term of drafting the bill for the second reading. According to Batkivshchyna (Fatherland) leader Arsenii Yatseniuk, this will allow one to consider the bill as soon as the next session week.

What was the problem about? Before the voting, head of Regionnaires’ faction Oleksandr Yefremov stated that the Party of Regions would vote for the full version of the decree only after the Constitutional Court announces its ruling on 48 MPs’ appeal conerning the date of the elections in the capital.

It will be hard for candidates from pro-governmental party to win in the elections in the capital (let’s recall the latest parliamentary elections). This is no secret to anyone, so, the power is postponing the confirmation of the date of the elections, retaining a possibility for manoeuvre. “Since when a Constitutional Court ruling has been the ground for postponing the approval of a decision in the Verkhovna Rada? Some political forces are trying to deceive Kyivites and deprive them of the right for elections,” Petro Poroshenko, a non-faction MP, expressed his indignation.

What about the opposition candidates in Kyiv? “We meet with you every day and each time you ask about the opposition candidate. We will announce the agreed candidature as soon as the election date is confirmed,” leader of UDAR faction Vitalii Klitschko said at a briefing.