Yekhanurov decides he will step down from PM's position (05/21/06)

Yekhanurov decides he will step down from PM's position

by Zenon Zawada
Kyiv Press Bureau

KYIV - With little chance of gaining enough support in the new Verkhovna Rada to support his candidacy for the prime ministership, Yurii Yekhanurov announced on May 12 that he would take his seat as a national deputy.

Mr. Yekhanurov is currently Ukraine's acting prime minister. He will remain in his position until a parliamentary coalition government is able to select a new prime minister, which doesn't appear to be likely anytime soon.

Coalition-building talks continued to stall as Our Ukraine leaders maintained their refusal to dole out positions before agreeing on a plan of action, particularly the prime ministership coveted by Yulia Tymoshenko.

Our Ukraine doesn't have much choice, she responded.

"Our Ukraine needs to learn to make compromises, because it's only those political forces that earned 51 percent of the vote who don't compromise," Ms. Tymoshenko said May 15. "Everyone else has to compromise."

Our Ukraine's refusal to give Ms. Tymoshenko the prime ministership may be part of a plan to allow Mr. Yekhanurov to remain as acting prime minister, said Oles Donii, chair of the Kyiv-based Center for Political Values Research, which is supported by Ukrainian citizens and is seeking international financing.

While the Constitution of Ukraine requires the elected political blocs to form a parliamentary coalition, it doesn't require a coalition to agree upon a prime minister or a Cabinet, he explained.

"The different outcomes at this point can be quite cunning," Mr. Donii said. "A coalition agreement can be signed, but a new government isn't elected."

Mr. Yekhanurov has stated repeatedly that his ideal parliamentary coalition is one that includes all the political blocs elected, excluding the Communist Party of Ukraine.

In that scenario, the failure to agree on a prime minister would be an ideal outcome for the Our Ukraine leadership, said Mr. Donii, a member of the Socialist Party.

Not only would Mr. Yekhanurov remain as acting prime minister, but so would his Cabinet, which includes members of the Socialist Party.

Though the law forbids a national deputy to serve in the Cabinet of Ministers, it's unlikely that enough political forces in the Parliament would oppose an acting government.

The Communists and the Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc would actively criticize and work against such a government. Meantime, the Party of the Regions hasn't adapted itself as an opposition force and has had its own history of moonlighting deputies, Mr. Donii said.

"To put it bluntly, there will be another problem with moonlighters for another half a year at least, and further violations of the Constitution," he added.

Mr. Yekhanurov's nine months as prime minister have brought stability to Ukraine's political and economic life after President Yushchenko stunned the world by dismissing nearly his entire Cabinet of Ministers, including Ms. Tymoshenko.

Following the embarrassing scandals that mired the Tymoshenko Cabinet, the Yekhanurov team was a collection of mild-mannered bureaucrats who managed to evade the media spotlight and raise few calumnies.

However, Ukraine's recent stability hasn't brought much progress to the country, nor has it drawn Ukraine closer to the European Union, Mr. Donii said.

"Yekhanurov's influence in canceling Jackson-Vanik was minimal," he said. "Corruption isn't being dealt with, and scandals in Ukraine's energy industry remain at the same level as the Kuchma years. It's stagnation."

Mr. Yekhanurov's best achievements as prime minister have been calming the waters of Ukraine's political environment, as well as finding a common language with Ukraine's top businessmen and industrialists, Mr. Donii said.

But Viktor Yanukovych could just as easily have replicated such policies, if not fared better, Mr. Donii commented.

During his tenure, Prime Minister Yekhanurov demonstrated himself to be among Mr. Yushchenko's most loyal political allies, never publicly disagreeing with the president or acting in discord with his policies.

"Yekhanurov is very convenient for any leader," Mr. Donii said. "He doesn't harbor any large political ambitions, so he's favorable for everyone, including [former President Leonid] Kuchma. He knows how to play by their rules."

Mr. Yushchenko's critics have alleged that it's precisely because the Ukrainian president has surrounded himself with loyal, agreeable personas such as Mr. Yekhanurov that he fell out of touch with society and his bloc fared so poorly in the March elections.

| Home Page |