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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

Will the Left Not Unite?

8 December, 1998 - 00:00


Given their numerous electorate, the so-called unity of the Left so
much spoken of by Leftist leaders will be one of the most important factors
at the next elections.

However, the Left faces two problems: how to agree on a coalition candidate
and who it will be. Last week confirmed that the main Left parties, the
CPU and SPU, are too far not only from agreeing on a common candidate,
but also on a generally acceptable means of agreeing on one. At least this
can be inferred from what party leaders say. Yosyp Vinsky, one of the leaders,
told a Socialists conference on November 28 that the issue of a single
Left candidate for the 1999 presidential runoff will be settled at a united
Communist and Socialist party congress, reports Interfax-Ukraine.

Simultaneously, the Communist leader expressed another view in Kharkiv.
"If the Left parties fail to reach an agreement on a single candidate in
the first round of 1999 presidential elections, they will unite before
the runoff," believes Petro Symonenko.

The main difference between the CPU and SPU is the following. The Socialists
(using every opportunity to point out that the issue of a coalition candidate
is technical) speak of nominating a single candidate before the elections,
while the Communists in practice oppose this. Actually, what does it mean
that the Lefts will unite in the runoff? Petro Symonenko is only too aware
of the real value of appealing to the voters of the candidate, who failed
in the first round, in the second one. As a rule, such appeals are useless,
for voters will do what they want. And, obviously, Symonenko has even now
some reason to expect that he will be the candidate who will reach the
runoff since he rejects even discussing the procedure for agreeing to a
single SPU-CPU candidate.

 

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