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 Threats of a new judicial reform
On May 31, 2010, Ukraine’s President Viktor Yanukovych submitted a Bill on the Judicial System and Status of judges (Bill 6450) to the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine (Ukrainian Parliament). The new bill resembles numerous bills on the judicial system and status of judges, introduced by ex-President Viktor Yushchenko. Specifically, it requires specialized training for a person to be appointed a judge; competition for a position of a judge held by the permanent Supreme Qualification Commission of Judges (SQCJ); clear grounds to institute disciplinary provisions against a judge; declaration of incomes and expenses of a judge and their family members; a specified salary of a judge; ensuring independence of courts of appeals and dissolving courts martial etc. The new bill however threatens to undermine judges’ independence since it creates possibilities for protecting some of them, while persecuting others.
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 Presidential election 2010: potential outsiders of the first round
Quite predictably, the start of the presidential election campaign of 2010 was accompanied by nomination of a string of new presidential candidates. Most of the new candidates are supposed to play a ‘technical’ role, stealing votes from the campaign leaders (top five candidates according to the national opinion polls). The goal of some of them is even simpler – campaigning against one specific presidential candidate. They are going to try to win a part of the electoral field of their ‘target leader’ (for instance, Oleksandr Moroz (Socialist party of Ukraine) and Petro Symonenko (Communist party of Ukraine) share the electorate).
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 Pocket opposition
From the very first moment Viktor Yanukovych was declared a new President of Ukraine, it was perfectly clear he should not fear any serious opposition, not at the beginning of his term at the helm of the state anyway. The forces that had always considered themselves as pro-presidential or at least tolerated the “orange” president, after the total “repainting” of the authorities into pleasing white and blue shades so dear for the new president’s heart found themselves disorganized and confused – they did not know whether they should start fighting the new regime or take some time, stay away from barricades for a while and try to save themselves a separate comfortable niche under the new government. Ukrainian political system, spoilt by the liberal Viktor Yushchenko and virtually never ending election campaigns, has lost its opposition, once consolidated by the Kuchma regime. With the presently available oppositional forces, the Party of the Regions will not have to worry about its position for years to come.
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 The “orange” of Ukrainian politics
In the current game of Ukrainian political football, the ball of a “golden share” has been passed to the Our Ukraine bloc. But the player seems to be frozen right in the middle of the field, unable to choose which team to support. Instead of the long-awaited political panacea which could have healed this party, it became a poison which might ruin this stronghold of all things “orange”. National romanticism has failed the test of power, time and peaceful co-existence. The party which strived to become a leading provider of democracy and European orientation in Ukraine has been smashed between two millstones of Ukrainian politics, two former allies, and bitter rivals, the Yulia Tymoshenko bloc and the Party of the Regions. Will Our Ukraine keep on playing this game? Who will become a new coach and a captain of this political team?
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 Members of different Verkhovna Rada factions answer the same questions
“Servants of people” appear in… Zoo classes?
Politicians are about to get down to the practices of “relating to people” again. The local elections are looming ahead. The Verkhovna Rada is likely to pass a decision to return to the majoritarian or at least mixed election system for its “little brothers” in the local councils. Judging by the past experience, the candidates for the local “people’s servants” can be subdivided into three major “families”.
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 Expert Opinion |
Yanukovych as self-fulfilling prophecy
This June, only the laziest of political experts or journalists did not cover the first 100 days of President Viktor Yanukovych in office. Traditionally, two parallel trends were formed with some materials presenting the positive side of the President’s achievements, putting emphasis on the pragmatic and rational approach of the new authorities, characterizing Yanukovych and his team as effective managers, while others tried to compare the situation to a virtually apocalyptic scenario of total corruption with strict censorship introduced and a new authoritarian regime established in the country. |
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Newsroom |
Dear friends!
The Open Society Foundation staff will be on vacation from July 5-20, 2010.
Have a nice holiday and see you later! ...
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Roundtable Efficiency of the Ukrainian parliament, Sumy
The Open Society Foundation (OSF) and the Center for Regional Politics held the roundtable ‘Efficiency of the Ukrainian parliament’ on December 25, 2009, in the city of Sumy (VTB bank business center, 13-a, Voskresenska Str., Sumy). ...
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Roundtable ‘Efficiency of the Ukrainian parliament’, Chernihiv
The Open Society Foundation (OSF) and Chernihiv-based expert club “Fair Politics” held the roundtable ‘Efficiency of the Ukrainian parliament’ on December 9, 2009, in the city of Chernihiv (6A, Hetman Polubotko Str., Chernihiv). ...
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‘On the Way to the European Union: Polands’ Experience’ Roundtable
The Open Society Foundation and Ukraine-based Polish Institute held a roundtable ‘On the Way to the European Union: Poland’s Experience’ on September 26 in Simferopol. ...
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