www.ukrweekly.com ïêàëíéë ÇéëäêÖë! CHRIST IS RISEN! HE KRAINIAN EEKLY T PublishedU by the Ukrainian National Association Inc., a fraternal non-profitW association Vol. LXXVI No. 17 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, APRIL 27, 2008 $1/$2 in Ukraine Forty-eight vie for Kyiv mayor; Ukraine launches nationwide Chernovetskyi front-runner standardized admission testing by Illya M. Labunka by Illya M. Labunka in the examination process during the first Kyiv Press Bureau Kyiv Press Bureau session will have the opportunity to take the standardized tests during the second KYIV – As the democratic coalition KYIV – Ukrainian high school seniors session of examination, scheduled to run on forces failed to unite behind a single candi- eager to be considered for admission to June 26-July 4. date for the post of mayor of Ukraine’s institutions of higher learning took part in Although the tests in language and liter- capital city, the number of hopefuls wish- the first phase of Ukraine’s largest-ever ature are mandatory for all examinees, dur- ing to be Kyiv’s next top politician contin- nationwide independent standardized test- ing each testing session every student also ues to increase. ing program on April 22. Of the 512,591 has the opportunity to choose one or two At last count, on April 18 the Kyiv students who managed to register by the (depending on a specific university’s Territorial Election Commission officially March 1 deadline for the newly initiated requirements) additional subjects out of a registered 48 candidates for the pre-term Ukrainian version of the U.S. College total of 10 required for examination. The mayoral elections scheduled for May 25. Board Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) additional subjects range from the tradition- In a campaign that is increasingly Examination program, approximately al sciences, which include biology, chem- viewed as a pre-cursor to the presidential 460,282 individuals throughout Ukraine istry, mathematics and physics, to the elections in 2009, the list of the top five tested their knowledge of the Ukrainian humanities, consisting of Ukrainian history, contenders includes a former mayor, a language and Ukrainian literature. world history, world literature, economics banker, a boxer and a current vice-prime Cutty Sark Co. Ukraine’s Ministry of Education engaged and law. minister. over 20,000 teachers at 1,888 nationwide Kyiv mayoral race front-runner Leonid The grading process will be supervised According to the latest polls, the incum- testing stations during the three-hour exami- Chernovetskyi. by the recently government-established bent, Leonid Chernovetskyi, a former nation procedure as part of the govern- Independent Testing Information Center banker, holds an 8 percent lead over his ment’s sweeping policy aimed at eradicat- sor, Oleksander Omelchenko, would gar- (ITIC), which operates nine regional affili- closest rival, the former heavyweight-box- ing corruption in the higher education ates throughout the country. In the fall of ing champion Vitali Klitschko. ner 11 percent of the votes, followed by 8 admission process. Approximately 6,000 percent for Mykola Katerynchuk. 2008 the Ukrainian government is sched- According to Serhiy Taran, head of the volunteers representing 80 civic organiza- uled to relinquish its administration of the Socio-Vymir Center for Sociological and Both Mr. Katerynchuk and Mr. tions acted as independent proctors through- Omelchenko are currently national ITIC, at which time various civic organiza- Political Research which conducted a sur- out the country during the examination. tions will assume management and super- vey on April 9-April 13, if the pre-term deputies in the Verkhovna Rada and mem- “Virtually the entire world has adopted bers of the Our Ukraine – People’s Self vision of the institution. mayoral elections were held in mid-April, the standardized testing model. Ukraine is For the time being, the grading system Mr. Chernovetskyi would receive 30 per- Defense bloc (OU-PSD). Yet, as a result the only former Soviet country which stub- of their decision to run for mayor of Kyiv, for standardized testing is based on a two- cent of the electoral vote. Vitali Klitschko, bornly follows the old system of admission. both candidates have formed their own tiered spectrum, namely the traditional as Mr. Chernovetskyi’s greatest political Ukraine’s choice of European integration eponymous blocs for the mayoral cam- domestic academic 12-point scale, and the threat, would receive 22 percent of the bal- necessitates its society to undergo the cur- paign and are self-nominees. Western-type 100-point scale, ranging from lots. Current Vice-Prime Minister rent catharsis,” said Minister of Education Former Mayor Oleksander 100 points to 200 points. Each examinee Oleksander Turchynov of the Yulia and former Rector of Lviv University Ivan Omelchenko said he is running for must chalk up at least four to five points Tymoshenko Bloc would receive 12 per- Vakarchuk. mayor of Kyiv again because he wants to according to the 12-point bar, or a required cent of the electorate, while Kyiv’s former The current testing session will continue mayor and Mr. Chernovetskyi’s predeces- (Continued on page 4) until June 4. Anyone unable to participate (Continued on page 5) “Natalka Poltavka” comes to Ukrainian American Cultural Center of N.J. by Roma Hadzewycz WHIPPANY, N.J. – Ukraine’s acclaimed Ivan Franko Theater of Kyiv brought the musical drama “Natalka Poltavka” to the Ukrainian American Cultural Center of New Jersey (UACC- NJ) on Saturday and Sunday, April 12 and 13. The performance – the North American premiere of this new produc- tion of the beloved play by Ivan Kotliarevsky (1769-1838) – was present- ed by the Arts, Culture and Education Committee of the UACCNJ. “Natalka Poltavka” was performed to a sold-out auditorium on Sunday afternoon and to near-capacity audiences on Saturday and Sunday evenings. The production featured Ukrainian rock star Oleh Skrypka as the matchmak- er and award-winning soloist Tetyana Roma Hadzewycz Mikhina as Natalka. Other principal roles On stage at the Ukrainian American Cultural Center of New Jersey at the conclusion of “Natalka Poltavka” (from left) were played by Pavlo Piskun (Petro), are: Oleksander Formanchuk (who played the role of Mykola), Pavlo Piskun (Petro), Tetyana Mikhina (Natalka), Oleh Skrypka (matchmaker), Larysa Rusnak (Natalka’s mother) and Petro Panchuk (mayor). (Continued on page 10) 2 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, APRIL 27, 2008 No. 17 ANALYSIS NEWSBRIEFSNEWSBRIEFS Can the ruling coalition hold together? Ukraine complains to U.N. about Russia er of sovereignty and the only source of power in Ukraine, may execute at a nation- by Pavel Korduban that 23 percent to 25 percent of KYIV – Ukraine has complained to the al referendum called at the people’s initia- Eurasia Daily Monitor Ukrainians are ready to vote for Ms. United Nations about statements made by tive its exclusive right to define and Tymoshenko in a presidential election, Russian officials regarding Ukraine’s sov- change the constitutional system in The ruling coalition of Prime Minister while support for Mr. Yushchenko is ereignty, RFE/RL’s Ukrainian Service Ukraine, through adopting a constitution Yulia Tymoshenko’s bloc and President under 10 percent. reported on April 22. The Ukrainian via a procedure defined by the Constitution Viktor Yushchenko’s Our Ukraine – The president has urged the prime Foreign Affairs Ministry delivered the and the law,” Interfax-Ukraine reported. People’s Self-Defense is on the verge of minister to amend the 2008 state budget statement to the U.N. headquarters in New However, the ruling reportedly explains breaking apart. Mr. Yushchenko’s team as it was based on the expectation that York. Yuriy Sergeyev, Ukraine’s perma- that a new constitution may not be directly not only criticizes Ms. Tymoshenko’s inflation would be around 10 percent nent representative to the United Nations, approved by a national referendum until economic policy but also publicly accus- annually, but it reached 9.7 percent just said that “the stance stated by the Russian the Verkhovna Rada amends the current es her of fostering corruption. Ms. in the period from January to March. Ms. Federation might have unforeseen effects Constitution of Ukraine regarding the Tymoshenko, for her part, has been tor- Tymoshenko said that she saw no point on peace and security.” Earlier this month, mechanisms and procedures for staging pedoing Mr. Yushchenko’s efforts to in amending the budget for the time Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov such a referendum. (RFE/RL Newsline) strengthen the presidential rule. being. On March 19 the Tymoshenko said that Russia “will do everything to pre- The situation is similar to the crisis of Cabinet ruled to privatize four regional vent Ukraine and Georgia from being Move toward parliamentary republic September 2005, when President accepted into NATO,” while the Russian power-generating companies. The KYIV – Prime Minister Yulia Yushchenko fired Ms. Tymoshenko from Presidential Secretariat warned that the daily Kommersant reported on April 8 that the post of prime minister, but there is Russian President Vladimir Putin “actually Tymoshenko told ICTV on April 20 that decision could lead to the bankruptcy of after the Easter holiday the Verkhovna one fundamental difference. In line with the state-run Energy Company of threatened that Russia will begin tearing the constitutional amendments that came away Crimea and eastern Ukraine” from Rada will adopt in its first reading consti- Ukraine, which manages the four compa- tutional changes with regard to transform- into force in 2006, the president cannot nies. Ms. Tymoshenko ignored the warn- Kyiv’s authority if the country is offered dismiss the prime minister. This is within NATO. (RFE/RL Newsline) ing Ukraine into a parliamentary republic. ing, and Mr. Yushchenko issued a decree She said there are two forms of govern- the jurisdiction of Parliament, where Mr.