Viktor MEDVEDCHUK: Majority is still in question

The following is a brief interview with SDPU(o) leader Viktor Medvedchuk on April 24.

The Day: The task force to prepare the first session of the Verkhovna Rada was elected with not a single Social Democrat or Tymoshenko Block member. Does this reflect the future alignment of forces in the parliament and its leadership?

V. M.: I very much hope that it doesn’t, especially when it comes to electing the leadership and committee chairs. As for the task force election turnout, I consider it quite normal, the more so that certain arrangements had been made during the conference with Ivan Pliushch, involving the leaders of the six political forces that received seats in the parliament. The Social Democrats, together with the Communists and Our Ukraine, supported Bandurka as candidate leader of the task force. Regrettably, he is not available for valid reasons, so arrangements concerning the leadership were made as the task force became operational. I wouldn’t make a big deal of what happened. After all, we have a task force and they are working to prepare the first session.

The Day: What chances does the parliamentary majority have?

V. M.: Talks are continually ongoing. It is absolutely clear that all political forces want to be in that majority. Whether this will work out is hard to say at the moment, although I believe that the coalitions of groups of deputies and factions will eventually work out some sort of deal before May 14-15 (the first session of the new parliament is to be opened on May 14 —Author), at least to settle organizational matters. After that they will get down to actually shaping the majority. Of course, it would be wonderful if all those political forces with seats in parliament could solve the majority problem before the start of the first session. However, I do not see any real prospects for a standing parliamentary majority right now. And I am sure that such a stable majority is uppermost on the mind of every political force, because surmounting the 4% barrier and getting seats in the parliament is too small an accomplishment to present as an election victory.

The Day: Do you think that the cabinet and premiership should be part of the majority arrangements?

V. M.: No, I don’t think this is necessary at this stage. We have a cabinet and prime minister. Of course, there will be changes in government, because some of its members will be in the parliament, so their portfolios can be subject to arrangements, but I think that there are enough seats to be allocated to start a normal, constructive legislative process. I hope to God we’ll manage all the organizational matters on the first days of the session, without making it another speaker saga, as was the case last year.

The Day: How would you assess the Social Democratic fraction numerically? How are the talks with majority nominees and their joining the fraction going?

V. M.: We are holding talks with majority nominees and discussing their SDPU(o) fraction membership. We’ll have specific figures toward the beginning of the first session. But I can say even now that the faction numbers more than 30 lawmakers (those elected on the party list and SDPU{o} district nominees). I believe the membership will be close to forty in the end.