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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

Three Lviv Parties Hitched to One Troika

19 January, 1999 - 00:00

By Mykola SAVELIEV, The Day
The Lviv regional organizations of Rukh, Reforms and Order, and NDP decided
to form a living ring around the monuments to three Ukrainian heroes -
Taras Shevchenko, Ivan Franko, and Mykhailo Hrushevsky - in commemoration
of the Fourth Universal of the Ukrainian National Republic, which declared
that state's independence, and the human chain of January 22, 1990, running
across Ukraine from East to West.

"We did not make the best of the people's enthusiasm in 1990-1991. Now
the time has come. Actually, I can see the three parties merge in the long
run. For the time being we intend form a single bloc in the next campaign,
backing one candidate. And let me stress that the human chain does not
mean the start of the presidential marathon," local Rukh leader Yaroslav
Kendzior told a new conference organized by the regional party organizations.

"We expect this regional initiative spread all over Ukraine," said local
NDP leader Taras Stetskiv. "There are presidential and parliamentary elections
ahead. Reforms and Order, NDP, and Rukh will unite throughout Ukraine.
The project has been agreed on with the leaders." Mr. Stetskiv went on
to say that Rukh and Reforms called on the President to pull out of the
campaign for the sake of Ukraine. The three parties will shortly name their
candidate. The local NDP leader, however, refused to name names.

Assuming that the Lviv organizations can come to terms on a single candidate,
the probability of such an arrangement in the capital looks very low. Vyacheslav
Chornovil declared in Simferopol recently that Rukh is inclined to nominate
Hennady Udovenko, but this candidacy is not likely to be seconded by other
members of the interparty coalition. And it remains anyone's guess whether
NDP will join Reforms and Rukh in their decision not to support the current
President.

When asked by journalists if he was sure that the short human chain
would not become a parody of the truly heroic events of 1990, Mr. Stetskiv
asked in return, "And what about our life today? Is it not a parody of
what we wanted and expected in the early 1990s?"

 

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