After the barricades

The demand for the “third force” has appeared in the Ukrainian society long ago. There are a lot of reasons: disappointment caused by the absence of the overdue quality changes during the years of independence, and especially after the “orange” events; the lack of genuine leaders in today’s political circles who would be capable of uniting the nation; growing mistrust for the government and the opposition. Such situation makes Ukrainians ponder over the need for new players on the nation’s political chessboard, who would be able to respond to the society’s demands and offer new approaches towards the solution of political issues.

Euromaidan is a bright example of popular sentiments. The current events differ dramatically from what was going on in 2004. There is no great enchantment and looking for a messiah anymore. Yes, the protests are directed against the government, but there is no great trust in the opposition either. People want the real changes, and this always offers a chance for new political forces and leaders to appear. So far, Pravy Sektor (Right Sector) has declared its existence directly and radically. The confrontation on Hrushevsky Street was created by the Right Sector men.

The Right Sector is a spontaneous organization which took shape after the violent attempt to disperse Maidan on November 30. It is an agglomeration of several right-wing groups: Tryzub (Trident), Patrioty Ukrainy (Patriots of Ukraine), Bily Molot (White Hammer), etc. It was the Right Sector activists who launched the attack on Hrushevsky Street on January 19, which led to a violent and long-lasting standoff with the security forces. Nowadays, the organization has become a significant factor on Maidan.

Recently, its activists, along with veterans of the Afghanistan conflict announced their desire to participate in the negotiations between the government and the opposition. Besides, in future the Right Sector reportedly plans to create its own party and switch from revolutionary street activities to politics.

What chances does the Right Sector have on filling the niche of the “third force”? Who is the moving force at the present-day Euromaidan? Read below to find out.

“WIDER PUBLIC AND A GROUP OF INTERESTS, WHICH HAS NO POLITICAL REPRESENTATION TODAY, HAVE MORE CHANCES OF BECOMING THE THIRD FORCE”

Volodymyr LUPATSY, political analyst, head of the Sofia Center for Social Studies:

“Wider public and a group of interests, which is not represented politically today, have more chances of becoming the ‘third power.’ For example, the congress of Euromaidan representatives from all regions of Ukraine corresponds to the notion of ‘the third power.’ The problem is that the political practices and protests which we have witnessed signify that the model of representative democracy turned out to be extremely vulnerable in post-Soviet countries. Obviously, now a question appears of how to legalize all the political practices that do not fit in the traditional model of representative democracy. This model is under pressure in Europe and in the world in general. We observe the growing number of political crises in European countries, a symbiosis of coalitions between ideologically different parties appears, etc.

“The Right Sector’s current statements and actions are their first attempts to find a political platform. It remains to be seen how successful they will be, but I think the question of going beyond the boundaries of parliamentary politics remains open, because parliamentary political parties lag behind the society, its demands and interests. The most urgent question is not only about resuming the nationwide dialog on finding solution to the current crisis, but about the further prospects of the nation’s development. That is, about the nationwide dialog that would allow to carry out a sensible, structured dialog among representatives of various regions and social groups. The parliament has long ago lost its function of a representative model. When we look at the composition of the Verkhovna Rada today, we see that it does not include representatives of labor unions, local self-government or youth and student organizations. If we do not modernize the political system, the gap between state institutions and society will remain.”

“THE RIGHT SECTOR HAS PROSPECTS FOR THE FUTURE. THEY CANNOT STAY AT THE BARRICADES FOREVER, CAN THEY?”

Pavlo ZHOVNIRENKO, chair of the board at the Center for Strategic Studies:

“The Irish Republican Army has a political wing Sinn Fein. On the one hand, it is a parliamentary political force, and on the other, it is a force that uses non-parliamentary methods. The Right Sector has prospects for the future. They cannot stay at the barricades forever, can they? This movement is still obscure at the moment. Vitalii Klitschko has been partly occupying its niche over the past year. Nobody knew much about UDAR either, until it made appearance on the nation’s political stage. There are prospects, but time will tell. It is one thing to fight at the barricades, and a completely different one to function in real political life.

“I have some questions about the first political move the Right Sector has made. The results of negotiations between power structures on the one side and the Right Sector and Afghanistan veterans on the other were reported. According to mass media, the Right Sector will withdraw from Hrushevsky Street in return for the release of the detained. These are separate negotiations of a kind. How can they make arrangements that the arrested or detained will be released, if a charges are pressed against every detainee, and the matter goes to the court? These results show that either we know little about these negotiations, or the Right Sector and Afghanistan veterans do naive things.”

“THE RIGHT SECTOR REPRESENTS A VERY NARROW SEGMENT, SO IT CANNOT CLAIM THE NICHE OF THE THIRD FORCE”

Kostiantyn MATVIIENKO, political analyst, publicist:

“It is too early to talk about the political prospects of the Right Sector. Either way, after the events that are unfolding in Ukraine now, the activity of the political parties will be changed. The parties will have to modify the form and the contents of their activities. The current activity of the Right Sector in the context of Maidan alone is not enough for political success. The very notion of political success will change drastically. Their standpoint is clear. The opposition we have now is ineffective, so new ideas and projects emerge. But considering what the Right Sector activists are capable of now, they have yet to learn much before setting up a party. Anyway, this organization represents a very narrow segment, so it cannot claim the niche of the ‘third force.’ Besides, we can only guess who stands behind the Right Sector. It is possible the Right Sector itself is not aware of who is actually manipulating it.”