What to Expected From New Government?

President Leonid Kuchma signed an order Saturday, appointing the members of Viktor Yanukovych’s cabinet. According to his Press Secretary Olena Hromnytska, the head of state had previously interviewed every candidate. Among the new cabinet appointments are the ministers of the economy, ecology, labor and social policy, emergency management, health, and the fuel and energy complex. The foreign affairs, defense, justice, internal affairs, education, agrarian policy, culture and art, and industrial policy portfolios remain in the same hands. A week earlier, the president appointed three vice premiers. In other words, the new cabinet is ready and able to get to work with the following membership:

Premier Viktor Yanukovych, nominated by the Regions of Ukraine, former “governor” of Donetsk oblast, considered one of the leaders of the Donetsk political and business group.

First Vice Premier and Minister of Finance Mykola Azarov, former director of the State Tax Administration and former chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Budget Committee, passed muster by the European Choice roster. Nevertheless, he is considered by many a protege of the same political group as Premier Yanukovych. Some analysts point to his involvement with Donetsk oligarch Rinat Akhmetov and that there is a degree of friction between Viktor Yanukovych and Mykola Azarov.

Vice Premier Vitaly Haiduk (fuel-and-energy complex) is former Minister of the Fuel and Energy Complex, SDPU(O) roster, although there is reason to believe that he is a Donetsk oblast protege, as evidenced by his experience on the Donetsk regional state administration and membership of the Regions Party backing up the Donbas.

Vice Premier Ivan Kyrylenko (agroindustrial complex) is a people’s deputy and Minister of Agriculture at Yushchenko’s cabinet, nominated by the Agrarian Party of Ukraine.

Vice Premier Dmytro Tabachnyk (humanitarian policy) is also a people’s deputy, chairman of the legislature’s foreign affairs committee, and former head of the presidential administration (1994-96). In President Kuchma’s words, he is currently actively rectifying his past mistakes. He was approved by the Party of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs and Labor Ukraine. Many consider Ivan Kyrylenko responsible for a number of attainments shown by Yushchenko’s government at the start of the agrarian reform.

Internal Affairs Minister Yuri Smirnov joined the cabinet during the cassette scandal, replacing Yuri Kravchenko who figured so prominently on the Melnychenko tapes.

Foreign Minister Anatoly Zlenko has held this post since October 2000. He also held the post in the early 1990s and has served as ambassador to a number of countries and international organizations.

Defense Minister Volodymyr Shkidchenko replaced Oleksandr Kuzmuk in November 2001, after a Russian jet liner was shot down by a Ukrainian rocket over the Black Sea. He is the son of General Petro Shkidchenko, killed in the Afghan War and posthumously conferred the title of Hero of Russia.

Justice Minister Oleksandr Lavrynovych, a veteran Rukh member, several years ago was first offered an executive post. The four ministers mentioned retained their portfolios because their ministries were not included in the list of allocations among the majority when forming a coalition government.

Minister of Agrarian Policy Serhiy Ryzhuk, appointed this April, also made it on the quota for the Agrarian Party of Ukraine.

Minister of Culture and the Arts Yury Bohutsky, by virtue of the NDP roster, has held a variety of executive posts in the cultural sphere.

Minister of Education and Science Vasyl Kremin, appointed December 1999, as per SDPU(O) roster, is a member of that party, initiated the current reform of secondary education, is author of an impressive number of research papers as well as the recipient of academic titles and degrees.

Minister of Transport Heorhy Kyrpa, SDPU(O) roster, is a professional railroad administrator, noted for spectacular progress at the head of Ukrzaliznytsia (Ukrainian .Rail). Some journalists have even mentioned him as a [presidential] candidate.

Minister of Agrarian Policy Anatoly Mialytsia came through on the Industrialists and Entrepreneurs and Labor Ukraine joint quota.

Minister of Ecology and Mineral Resources Vasyl Shevchuk, NDP quota; was Minister of Protection of the Environment and Nuclear Safety in 1998-2000.

Minister of Economy and European Integration Valery Khoroshkovsky was the first deputy to the head of the presidential administration, Ukrainian Party of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs and Labor Ukraine protege; was the leader of the Winter Generation Bloc that failed to make it into the parliament.

Minister of Emergency Management and Chornobyl Relief Hryhory Reva was head of the Fire Safety Department at the Ministry of the Internal Affairs.

Minister of Health Andriy Pidayev was earlier Minister of Health of the Crimean Autonomous Republic

Minister of Fuel and Energy Serhiy Ermilov is a protege of the Democratic Initiatives faction and served as Fuel and Energy Minister in 2000-01.

Minister of Labor and Social Policy Mykhailo Papiev, a people’s deputy, member of the Verkhovna Rada Ecological Policy, Nature Use, and Chornobyl Committee, is an SDPU(O) nominee.

The new cabinet is to present its action plan by December 10. Even now analysts agree that its priorities will include paying down the national debt ($2.2 billion payable to international structures in late March) and arrangements for the 2004 elections, so the powers that be can meet the date fully prepared and equipped. This, of course, implies improvements in the people’s social and economic condition, as mentioned by Viktor Yanukovych in his address prior to the confirmation of his premiership. In addition, President Kuchma, addressing the priorities facing the new government yesterday, mentioned the liquidation of barriers in foreign economic cooperation: “The main task of the new coalition government, in collaboration with the constructive majority in the parliament, consists in the liquidation of all barriers to secure a normal development of economic relations with other countries, primarily in terms of commodity trade.” Speaker Volodymyr Lytvyn believes that evidence of the new cabinet’s professional level will be the earliest steps made to pass the budget bill for next year.