The Ukrainian Weekly 2009, No.35
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www.ukrweekly.com InsIde: • Yushchenko announces nationalistic campaign platform – page 3. • Heros of Ukraine examined against Moscow’s claims – page 9. • UCU revives in Rome after 20 years – page 12. HEPublished byKRA the Ukrainian NationalIN AssociationIAN Inc., a fraternal non-profit associationEEKLY Vol. LXXVIIT UNo.35 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, AUGUST W 30, 2009 $1/$2 in Ukraine Rada overrides veto of election laws Kyiv seeks to mobilize Ukrainians restricting CEC and appeals process abroad to counter Russian pressure by Zenon Zawada by Paul Goble “fundamental threats of a political, eco- Kyiv Press Bureau Windows on Eurasia nomic and international character” now August 27 facing Ukraine during the run-up to the KYIV – Ukraine’s Parliament presidential elections. These threats, she voted on August 21 to override VIENNA – In response to Moscow’s continued, include ones directed against President Viktor Yushchenko’s continuing efforts to exploit ethnic “the existence of Ukraine itself and the veto on the election rules bill, Russians living in Ukraine in order to existence of democracy in Ukraine.” which critics allege significantly put pressure on the Ukrainian govern- Discussing Russian President Dmitry restricts voter rights and tips the ment, Kyiv is seeking to mobilize ethnic Medvedev’s recent letter to President scales in favor of the dominating Ukrainians in the Russian Federation Yushchenko, Ms. Ulianchenko said that political forces – the Party of and elsewhere to defend Ukraine from the Russian president’s letter had the Regions of Ukraine and the Yulia Russian attacks and to promote unintended consequence of “consolidat- Tymoshenko Bloc. Ukrainian interests as well. ing Ukrainians” as was shown, she con- It was their deputies who pro- On Tuesday, August 25, Vira tinued, by “the activity and clarity of vided 321 of the 325 votes in Ulianchenko, the chief of the patriotic public actions during the cele- favor, passing into law their pre- Presidential Secretariat, hosted a meet- brations of State Flag Day and ferred rules that are to take effect ing with representatives of Ukrainians Ukrainian Independence Day.” September 1, said Mykhailo living outside of Ukraine and senior Mr. Medvedev’s letter, she noted, was Okhendovskyi, a Central Election Ukrainian official, including acting part of a continuing series of Russian Commission (CEC) member. The Foreign Affairs Minister Volodymyr statements and actions which highlight- Volodymyr Lytvyn Bloc and Khandohiy and two deputy chiefs of the ed Russia’s “imperial ambitions” and Communist Party of Ukraine NRCU.GOV.UA Presidential Secretariat, Andrei Moscow’s lack of respect for Ukraine offered no support. Presidential Secretariat Deputy Chair Maryna Honcharuk and Valentina Rudenko. and Ukrainians. Russian leaders, includ- Among its key provisions, the Stavniychuk Ms. Ulianchenko told the group that ing Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, have law will restrict all appeals to a the Ukrainian government is committed suggested that “Ukraine is supposedly a single court, the Higher Administrative January 17, Mr. Okhendovskyi said, and to “activating” relations between Kyiv non-existent state.” Court in Kyiv, which will have two days to the second round run-off is set for February and Ukrainians living in other countries And she concluded her remarks by review them and reach a verdict, instead of 2. in order to support both their efforts to saying that the efforts of other govern- the previous five days. In her address before the Verkhovna “preserve and disseminate Ukrainian ment to influence “organization of “It will be forbidden to submit com- Rada, Ms. Stavniichuk criticized parts of culture” where they live and to “support Ukrainians abroad” against Ukraine plaints to the CEC during voting and estab- the law that she said not only violated the democracy in Ukraine” (www.ia-centr. were “impermissible,” an indication that lishing election results,” Presidential Constitution of Ukraine but also European ru/expert/5659/). such efforts may be taking place and Secretariat Deputy Chair Maryna standards. The Secretariat chief said that “state that Kyiv is now worried about their Stavniichuk told the Verkhovna Rada min- Millions of overseas Ukrainians not support for Ukrainians abroad as a pow- consequences. utes before the vote. included in consulate and embassy voter erful political and spiritual force is one Tuesday’s meeting in Kyiv is intrigu- “Meaning the CEC, the organ which registries on election day are barred from of the priorities of President Viktor ing for three reasons. First, it suggests guarantees the realization of voting rights, voting, she said. Yushchenko,” as is shown, she contin- that Ukrainian officials are now prepared doesn’t have rights, and is supposed to “Introducing through law additional ued, by his frequent calls for the parlia- to push even harder than they have in the leave citizens’ appeals and complaints limits on citizens’ constitutional right to ment to provide full funding for pro- past to get governments around the world without review. What is this? Tell us vote during the presidential elections, tied grams directed “at the support of to declare that the Stalin-era famine in national deputies, have you forgotten about to being included on consulates’ citizen Ukrainians abroad.” Ukraine was a genocide, an effort that 2004?” registries, is nothing other than a violation In his name, Ms. Ulianchenko parallels longstanding efforts by [Ed. Note – It was the CEC which ruled of Ukraine’s Constitution,” Ms. expressed the gratitude of the Ukrainian Armenians regarding 1915. on creating a third round of voting that Stavniichuk said. “Other than that, these nation for “the active support by Second, the meeting shows that Kyiv enabled the election of President provisions contradict generally accepted Ukrainians abroad of the president’s ini- is now prepared to give Moscow a taste Yushchenko in 2004.] international standards of voter rights.” tiative for honoring the victims of the of its own medicine. Russia has regular- Immediately after the vote, the The law also requires that local and dis- Terror Famine of 1932-1933” and for ly sought to use the dwindling number Presidential Secretariat reaffirmed previ- trict election commissions consist exclu- their efforts to secure “international rec- of ethnic Russians in Ukraine to put ous statements that it would submit the law sively of residents of their respective ognition of the Terror Famine as a geno- pressure on Kyiv. Now, Kyiv appears to for the Constitutional Court’s review once regions, “which doesn’t ensure balanced cide of the Ukrainian people.” be hoping that it will be able to use the it takes effect, with the expectation that the representation for presidential candidates But Ms. Ulianchenko devoted most more than six million ethnic Ukrainians Court will reject those provisions under in respective election commissions,” she of her time to what she said are the in Russia, possibly leading Moscow to question. said, underlining the president’s opposition back off from its tactic. President Yushchenko won’t sign the to residency restrictions on election com- And third, such activism by the law, but Verkhovna Rada Chair Volodymyr missions. Paul Goble is a lecturer at the Ukrainian government may lead more Lytvyn will likely provide the needed sig- The law also creates conditions for fal- Azerbaijan Diplomatic Academy in Russians to conclude, as one in three nature, said Ihor Popov, a Presidential sification, Ms. Stavniichuk said, such as Baku. He is a long-time specialist on now does, that there is no need “to Secretariat deputy chair. expanding the minimum local election dis- ethnic and religious questions in lobby pro-Russian forces in Ukraine Should the Constitutional Court rule in trict from 2,500 voters to 3,000, giving Eurasia who has served in various since there are no real pro-Russian forc- the Secretariat’s favor, the election law will authorities the pretext to add new voters capacities in the U.S. State Department, es there” now. have to be rewritten and reapproved during onto local registries as late as election day the Central Intelligence Agency and the Such Russians believe, according to a survey by the All-Russian Center for the the campaign, “and that won’t be a posi- itself. International Broadcasting Bureau, as Study of Public Opinion (VTsIOM), an tive,” he said. Meanwhile, election authorities gain an well as at the Voice of America and agency known for its close ties to the The official election campaign season extra ten days to create the district election Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and Kremlin, that Moscow “must work with begins September 19 according to the prior commissions, which can cast doubt upon the Carnegie Endowment for the government Ukrainians have chosen law (120 days before election day), but on the legitimacy of the election’s organiza- International Peace. Mr. Goble writes themselves” rather than trying to push October 19 according to the law passed tion, she said. a blog called “Window on Eurasia” (http://windowoneurasia.blogspot. forward “pro-Russian forces” (wciom. August 21 (90 days prior). The law allows for creating special elec- However, nothing will prevent the presi- com/). This article above is reprinted ru/novosti/press-vypuski/press-vypusk/ dential election from taking place on (Continued on page 22) with permission. single/12331.html) 2 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, AUGUST 30, 2009 No. 35 ANALYSIS NEWSBRIEFS Russian manipulation of history: Tymoshenko: most influential person that can actually cause damage to the interests of the state.” In July the Russian “the art of interpretation” KYIV – For the second consecutive Federal Agency for CIS Affairs, year, Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko Compatriots Living Abroad and has been named Ukraine’s most influen- by Pavel Felgenhauer International Humanitarian Cooperation tial person by Korrespondent magazine, announced its intention to open centers of Eurasia Daily Monitor RFE/RL’s Ukrainian Service reported on “History is the art Russian scholarship and culture in a num- August 21.