Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych has said he believes that opposition members who were elected the heads of local government agencies in the October 31 local elections should not be in opposition to the authorities and the public.
"Democracy is not the mockery of yourself. This is a constructive approach to life. If you have a competitive program, please implement it, and we can create the conditions," he said at a meeting with the residents of Ivano-Frankivsk region involved in the social and economic development of the region in Kalush on Thursday.
"But when they think that, for example, five heads of cities were elected from one party in one region, but the party is in opposition, does it mean that the five mayors will be in opposition? I cannot imagine this… I will pull off their [the mayors’] heads if they don’t deal with the sewage system, water and gas supplies," Yanukovych said.
The president said that the central authorities would be partners with the local authorities in resolving social and economic problems, and also said that those politicians who "muddy the waters" had no future in politics.
