You're reading: Parliament again fails to set date of Kyiv elections

Ukraine’s parliament failed to schedule regular elections for Kyiv mayorand Kyiv City Council deputies for June 2, 2013 as was proposed by opposition.

The draft law by Volodymyr Yavorivsky of opposition Batkivshchyna partyreceived only 200 votes out of required 226 as no one of the ruling Party ofRegions agreed to support it. The talks about need for new elections in the capital were sparked bythe fact that current tenure of Kyiv Council ends on May 28 andof Kyiv mayor — on June 3.

But in fact city has been run by Oleksandr Popov, head of Kyiv stateadministration, nominated for this post by President Viktor Yanukovych,since June, 1 2012, when Kyiv mayor Leonid Chernovetsky resigned.

“None of the Regions (lawmakers) answered who will rule in Kyiv afterterms of office of city authorities’ end,” Andriy Pyshny, lawmaker ofBatkivshchyna party wrote on his Facebook page. “Constitution sets theprecise terms of office and they run out in May,” he added. But the opponents of the draft law said they wanted primarily to hear adecision of Constitutional Court that was currently viewing the issue.“Now we are all the participant of a new performance, where the anarchyand outrage is implementing disguised as a law,” said VadymKolesnichenko of Party of Regions.

Another Batkivshchyna lawmaker Volodymyr Ariyev said based on hisinsider information that the Constitutional Court was going to set theelections of mayor on August 2013 without setting the date of electionsof Kyiv City Council.

Verkhovna Rada has already made on April 2 an unsuccessful attempt to set theelections in country’s capital. The opposition claims the authorities don’t support the idea of newelections in the city as those in power have fears to lose them.“Yanukovych is scared, Kyiv is a repetition, training, testing — callit anyway — to probable failure of presidential elections and(attempts) to usurp power,” Pyshny said.

But the analysts seem to be more optimistic. Political technologist Taras Berezovets said despite today’sunsuccessful try the confidence that the elections will be held innearest time “is increasing.” “The main motive for the authorities to hold them is to fulfill withheavy heart the written demand of the EU to provide the lawful electionsof metropolitan community,” Berezovets said, and forecasted the date ofmayor’s elections on August 4.

Kyiv Post staff writer Oksana Grytsenko can be reached at [email protected]