You're reading: Leader of Communist party stands for step-by-step transition to federation followed by elimination of post of president

Communist Party of Ukraine stands for a step-by-step transition to federalization of Ukraine, leader of the party Petro Symonenko has said.

“We stand for the federalization of the country. We suggest
conducting a step-by-step transition to a federal system in Ukraine with
guarantees of Ukraine’ s unity stated in the constitution. Issues of
federalization depth and framework are to be discussed and put to a
referendum; but the decision must be made – this is the only step that
will allow fully consideration of the peculiarities and interests of the
regions. It will allow considering regions’ interests and specifics
more profoundly,” he said during the press conference at
Interfax-Ukraine news agency.

“Federalization is a guarantee that the center won’ t interfere in
the regions’ affairs. Decentralization, in a form suggested by the
government, doesn’ t guarantee that the received authority won’ t be
taken away from regions by the central government the next day,” the
politician added.

Also, according to him, the Communists Party stands for the
non-aligned status of the country, restoring relations with Russia and
Ukraine’ s membership of the Customs Union and Eurasian Economic
Commission; but the future of the country must be decided by its people
in a referendum.

In addition, Symonenko thinks that the country must break the credit
relations with the IMF and review discriminative conditions of Ukraine’ s
membership in the WTO.

Within the country, new Labor Code must be adopted,
anti-constitutional pension reform must be abolished and welfare rate
must be raised.

He thinks that it is necessary to adopt new wording of Ukraine’ s
Constitution and finish the transition from presidential-parliamentary
to parliamentary system without the institution of the presidency at
all.

“After stabilizing the socio-political situation, preparing
constitutional and political reforms, the presidential office must be
eliminated or entrusted only with representative functions,” Symonenko
said.