Why is Rada lingering before appointing the prime minister?

Political trading continues. The Verkhovna Rada has not included the voting for new prime minister on the agenda again. The next X day has been appointed for Thursday. The MPs hope that all questions will be resolved by then, and the country will have a new head of the government.

Nonetheless, according to The Day’s sources, on Monday evening the candidate for the head of the government and forming of the parliamentary coalition were finally agreed. The leader of the Batkivshchyna faction, Arsenii Yatseniuk, is supposed to become the new prime minister. Representatives of the Maidan are supposed to take seats in the Cabinet of Ministers as well: Olha Bohomolets – minister of health, “voice of Maidan” Yevhen Nyshchuk – minister of culture, singer Ruslana – minister of youth and sport, and Serhii Kvit – minister of education. However, the names of those who are going to head the economic, industrial, and energy blocs of the government were kept secret. Batkivshchyna had a quota for these departments, however, in agreeing on the candidates they took desires of former Regionnaires into consideration. Without the latter the parliamentary coalition is impossible.

“The experience of Batkivshchyna and the Party of Regions in economic sector has proved that not everything was good there,” an UDAR member, who wanted to remain incognito, told The Day. “Their representatives should better not be included in the new government.”

The interlocutor also noted that UDAR MP Viktor Pynzenyk was offered to head the Ministry of Economy. However, he refused after he was denied the post of the head of the National Bank of Ukraine. So, UDAR, like during the presidency of Viktor Yanukovych, won’t be represented in the new government either, according to our information. Vitalii Klitschko’s main stake is on the upcoming presidential elections.

On Tuesday morning the plans of the new power were broken: Maidan activists set forth their demands to the government of people’s trust and demanded to agree on the candidatures with the society. The criteria include seven-year work experience in the sphere (except for MVS, SBU, and Ministry of Defense), five-year work experience on leading positions, they should not be involved in violation of human rights or corrupt activity. The oppositionists were not ready for such a move. It turned out that several agreed candidates of ministers did not meet the demands of Maidan. Being busy with making agreements in the lobby and dividing the power pie, the politicians forgot to ask people, who have actually brought them to power, for their opinion. The MPs feared a new burst of social discontent and decided to wait in order to get out of harm’s way.

Already yesterday the MPs in Rada hurried before one another to state that the project of the new Cabinet of Ministers should be agreed with Maidan. The non-affiliated MPs started to talk about it together with UDAR, Svoboda, and Batkivshchyna. “We’re not claiming to any posts in government,” one of the leaders of the non-formal MP group “United European Ukraine” Ihor Yeremeiev told The Day. “At first, Klitschko, Yatseniuk, and Tiahnybok should propose a list of the new government for the Maidan and get approval from the Ukrainian people. If it is approved, we will enter the coalition and support the decision of the society.”

The head of the recently created MP group “Economic Development” Anatolii Kinakh sticks to the same opinion. “Under the circumstances of current distrust of society to power, it is very complicated to form a new government,” former Regionnaire Kinakh commented to The Day. “We need to keep the balance. On the one hand, those should be people with needed qualification; on the other hand, they should have needed support of the society. The search of balance is not simple, but the situation in the country should be taken under control as soon as possible. I think the coalition will be formed on Thursday or Friday, and the voting for government will take place.”

However, MP from the Party of Regions Serhii Tihipko is more open in his assessment of the situation with the Cabinet of Minister and efficiency of the work of the new power. “The former opposition is dividing the posts,” Tihipko told The Day. “They say that the country is in danger, but the most important step for stabilization of the situation has not been made – the formation of the new government. This is up to them. They voted for appointing the head of the SBU, Prosecutor General, VR commissioner in the MVS, but currently the incumbent power is really playing for time. Suddenly they all have started to take care of their private, narrow-party interests. …We cannot bring to power non-professionals who put their interests above the state one. Unfortunately, this is what’s going on at the moment,” resumed Tihipko, who has until recently been representing the majority in the Verkhovna Rada and is responsible for the current situation in the country.

“Aren’t there professionals in the parties? Don’t we have the right to head ministries?” one of Batkivshchyna MPs nervously retorted to The Day. “All of these are obstacles created by those who are seeking power. Everyone knows that the public sector is controlled by Serhii Liovochkin. Then think who needs talks about alleged usurpation of the power by Batkivshchyna.”

When asked about the opposition’s proposal to create a technocratic government which would consist of independent professionals, which the opposition does not mention anymore, the interlocutor said that the situation has changed, and Batkivshchyna has made concession. “Do you know what it took us to talk Yulia Tymoshenko out of proposing her candidature for premiership or running for president?” one of the former comrades-in-arms of the former prisoner told The Day. “We understand that the situation in the country has changed. People are different now. Give us an opportunity to show ourselves.”

Legends are spread about the way the new power is showing itself in VRU lobby. The MPs complain about the attack of the “Turchynov people” and brutal seizure of all important posts by representatives of Batkivshchyna. The unaffiliated MPs complain that former members of the Party of Regions are trying to lure them to their group. The raging political corruption remains the main factor of the work of the parliament. The change of names has not been able to transform the system. At least, so far. “On the one hand, the politicians are guided by the lust for money, on the other hand, they are facing the question of survival,” unaffiliated MP Serhii Mishchenko told The Day. “Maidan can tear them and bring them out, like the previous power. That is why they are delaying. ”

At the moment, the politicians from the power are only getting ready for consulting with Maidan on a regular basis. But they don’t have a way out. Apart from the power and the opposition, Ukrainian people are today a participant of the negotiating process. And they cannot but reckon with this.