Hot topics:

WHAT DID PRESIDENT KUCHMA WANT FROM COMMUNIST HRACH?

13 November, 00:00

Judging from the enthusiasm and activity with which everyone in the corridors of power seem are jockeying around the question of who will be the new Speaker, the issue seems to have assumed critical importance. The Communist Central Committee plenum promised to shed light on the mystery, for the Reds were supposed to put forth their candidate.

One thing, however, makes one ponder other possibilities. President Kuchma met with Crimean Communist leader Leonid Hrach (member of the CC Presidium) last Friday. Reports from the Crimea indicate that Mr. Kuchma said he wanted the meeting while on a visit to Yevpatoriya.

This cannot be ignored. First, the President would not meet privately with any other candidate Crimean Speaker, not even former Speaker Anatoly Hrytsenko who, considering their previous fruitful cooperation, probably expected presidential support. Another candidate, Mykola Bahrov (Speaker before Mieshkov) was granted an audience by Mr. Horbulin.

Secondly, the Ukrainian President’s rendezvous with the Crimean Communist leader looks interesting in light of the latter’s statement that, if becoming Speaker, he would be the “only person to prevent Anatoly Franchuk from joining the new government.” This and his public statements illustrating the methods used by the Crimean Premier with regard to local deputies, e.g., promises and threats, aimed at electing the right Chairman of the Crimean Supreme Council who would proceed with the task of pushing through Franchuk as new Premier, regardless of his current nationwide deputy status. Another possibility is that Mr. Hrach really is the only politician immune to Franchuk’s threats, and he does not care much about setting his course to please the President, which was why he told Mr. Kuchma many interesting, albeit unpleasant, things during their meeting, including how the President’s son-in-law was bluffing even as the ground was being cut from under his feet.

Still, it might be a mistake to assume that the President’s major concern is to extricate himself from yet another situation connected with his son-in-law’s irresponsibility. What is more important is what the Hrach proclaimed earlier. After being elected both Crimean and Ukrainian People’s Deputy, he thought this would clear the way to the Crimean Speaker’s seat, which would suit him best. If not, he will take his seat in Kyiv’s Verkhovna Rada.

In other words, we can assume that the President’s aides worked out possible scenarios and thought it best to allow Hrach to have his Crimean premiership. Otherwise the President meeting one of his most outspoken political opponents makes no sense. Comrade Hrach cuts a spectacular figure compared to Petro Symonenko and does not rule out the possibility of eventually running for President. The Speaker’s chair is thus an excellent training ground for an ambitious regional leader. On the other hand, he is influential enough, in a way even in a kind of opposition to Comrade Symonenko within their party framework. Especially now that local Communist first secretaries, having surmounted the 4% barrier using party rosters are getting increasingly confident of their stand, sensing a weakening of control from on high. It is an established fact that Leonid Hrach once came up with a “principled party stand” denouncing all the other Parteigenossen for lack of such principles, making no secret of his disapproval of the kind of contacts which then existed between the Communist leadership and Pavlo Lazarenko.

Mr. Lazarenko is currently quite active in the Left wing, causing concern to those in power. Does this mean that Comrade Hrach’s time has come? Or that whoever becomes the Crimean Premier will have an impact on the Ukrainian Speaker’s election? The Crimean Parliament will convene on April 28. Perhaps the Ukrainian Communists’ decision to pick their candidate the day before Parliament convenes is timed to coincide with the outcome of Comrade Hrach’s strategy in the Crimean Supreme Council.

Author

Tetiana Korobova

Section

Day After Day