Three Lviv Parties Hitched to One Troika

"We did not make the best of the people's enthusiasm in 1990-1991. Now the time has come. Actually, I can see the three parties merge in the long run. For the time being we intend form a single bloc in the next campaign, backing one candidate. And let me stress that the human chain does not mean the start of the presidential marathon," local Rukh leader Yaroslav Kendzior told a new conference organized by the regional party organizations.

"We expect this regional initiative spread all over Ukraine," said local NDP leader Taras Stetskiv. "There are presidential and parliamentary elections ahead. Reforms and Order, NDP, and Rukh will unite throughout Ukraine. The project has been agreed on with the leaders." Mr. Stetskiv went on to say that Rukh and Reforms called on the President to pull out of the campaign for the sake of Ukraine. The three parties will shortly name their candidate. The local NDP leader, however, refused to name names.

Assuming that the Lviv organizations can come to terms on a single candidate, the probability of such an arrangement in the capital looks very low. Vyacheslav Chornovil declared in Simferopol recently that Rukh is inclined to nominate Hennady Udovenko, but this candidacy is not likely to be seconded by other members of the interparty coalition. And it remains anyone's guess whether NDP will join Reforms and Rukh in their decision not to support the current President.

When asked by journalists if he was sure that the short human chain would not become a parody of the truly heroic events of 1990, Mr. Stetskiv asked in return, "And what about our life today? Is it not a parody of what we wanted and expected in the early 1990s?"