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Six More Deputies Elected to Parliament INSIDE:• Dr. Borys Gudziak speaks on the revival of religion in Ukraine — page 3. • Canadian government to participate in trade mission to Ukraine — page 4. • On the road to Atlanta: U.S. women’s basketball team defeats Ukraine — centerfold Published by the Ukrainian National Association Inc., a fraternal non-profit association Vol. LXIV HE KRAINIANNo. 15 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, APRIL 14, 1996 EEKLY$1.25/$2 in Ukraine IMF halts loan installment, emergency mission travels to Kyiv to negotiate ïêàëíéëT U W by Marta Kolomayets cussions with President Leonid Kuchma The budget includes a deficit of 6.2 percent, ÇéëäêÖë! Kyiv Press Bureau and Ukraine’s top government officials dur- two-tenths higher than what the IMF had pro- ing meetings in Washington in February of posed, and an inflation rate of 40 percent, as KYIV – An emergency mission from the this year, and Ukraine had expected $100 compared to 183 percent last year. International Monetary Fund arrived in The IMF also expressed concern that Kyiv on April 9 to negotiate a new stand-by million a month for the next nine months. At that time, with U.S. assurances, IMF Ukraine had exceeded its spending promis- loan agreement after the initial $1.5 billion es for the first quarter by about $57 million (U.S.) credit had expired on April 6. funding was increased from $1.5 billion to $1.7 billion, and the international financial (U.S.), or roughly 1 percent of the gross The Ukrainian government, which had domestic product for that quarter. received almost $800 million (U.S.) of the institution also promised to negotiate a pro- gram with Ukraine to run until the end of Anders Aslund, a Swedish economist and stand-by loan in 1995, had expected anoth- adviser to the Ukrainian government, told the er $900 million in 1996. It was waiting for the century. However, the surprise decision by the IMF Financial Times that the excess spending was the release of the fourth tranche of the loan “an accident” caused by poor financial man- – $100 million – sometime in April, but, to hold back on the fourth tranche – this is the second time it has been delayed – has dis- agement. “They will now have to restrict fis- the Financial Times reported on April 8 that cal and monetary policy further. They have Ukraine had overshot its spending target in couraged the Ukrainian government’s finan- cial officials. The program had been suspend- no choice,” said Mr. Aslund. the first quarter of 1996 and the IMF had Alex Sundakov, the IMF’s representative ed in January by the IMF when the 1995 halted the release of these funds. in Kyiv, said the decision to hold back on budget was passed with a larger than expect- The emergency IMF mission, headed by the fourth tranche was prompted by ed budget deficit of 7.3 percent. Adelbert Knobl, began negotiations with Ukraine’s failure to submit documentation Deputy Prime Ministers Viktor Pynzenyk Reformers pressed hard for the Ukrainian for extension of the loan before it expired, and Roman Shpek on an entirely new Parliament, which still has a solid bloc of left- reported Interfax-Ukraine on April 9. stand-by program of $900 million. wingers, to pass a 1996 budget by April. It did However, Oleh Hawrylyshyn, Ukraine’s This amount had been earmarked by so on March 22, in the hope that this would IMF Chairman Michel Camdessus in dis- pave the way for the release of IMF credits. (Continued on page 8) Six more deputies INTERVIEW: Yevhen Marchuk elected to Parliament on integration, Chornobyl by Marta Kolomayets KYIV – Yevhen Marchuk, 55, Kyiv Press Bureau Ukraine’s prime minister since June 1995, has developed a reputation as a KYIV – Six more deputies were elected polished and professional politician over to Ukraine’s Supreme Council on April 7, the last several years, trouble-shooting as attempts to fill all 450 seats of the for President Leonid Kuchma on such Parliament continue into their third year. issues as the Black Sea Fleet division, If all six winners are approved by the Kyiv-Crimean peninsula conflicts and Central Electoral Commission, the number of Ukrainian-Russian relations. deputies in this legislature will increase to Tough, but polite, the former high- 421. Run-offs in two districts will be held on ranking KGB official is regarded as a April 21, which may bring the total of elected political mystery in Ukraine. Although he deputies to 423 by the end of the month. does not have the backing of any political On the average, less than 37 percent of party, and is not allied with any one the electorate came out to cast their ballots force, Mr. Marchuk is regarded as one of for their district’s representative to Ukraine’s most popular political figures, Parliament, underscoring voter apathy in often ranking second only to President this election process, which has dragged on Kuchma. since March 1994 when the first elections This has begun speculation in political to the current Supreme Council were held. circles about trouble between President Although elections were held in 31 dis- Kuchma and Prime Minister Marchuk, but tricts throughout Ukraine, voter turnout both Western analysts and Ukrainian insid- exceeded 50 percent in only eight districts. ers say the two men seem too wise to let In Kyiv, where voters seem the most indif- Prime Minister Yevhen Marchuk political intrigue interfere with their rela- ferent, some constituencies had only a 13 to tions as government leaders. Mr. Marchuk, 15 percent voter turnout. Some of Ukraine’s none of them talks.” Many political who sets a striking figure with his jet-black citizens have actually made their way to the observers add that Mr. Marchuk, coming hair and dark eyes, has been mentioned as ballot box a dozen times in the last two years from many years of experience at the a probable candidate for Ukraine’s third without electing their representative. KGB, knows more about everybody than president. Currently, however, he has his Under Ukraine’s election law, which anybody knows about him, giving him the democrats in Parliament desperately want hands full as prime minister and a deputy upper hand in various situations. to change, there must be more than 50 per- in the Supreme Council elected from the Born in the Kirovohrad region in cen- cent turnout at the polls for elections to be Myrhorod region in the Poltava Oblast in tral Ukraine, Mr. Marchuk completed his considered valid. December 1995, capturing more than 83 higher education at the pedagogical insti- Also, billions of karbovantsi (hundreds of percent of the vote in the first round. tute there in 1963, graduating as a thousands of dollars) have been spent on the One Western diplomat recently told teacher of Ukrainian language and litera- CHRIST election process – with each election in each The Washington Post that “Mr. Marchuk ture. It was that year that he began his district running more than $75,000 (U.S.). is one of the hardest to pin down in terms career with the local KGB in Kirovohrad, IS RISEN! For independents with no party affilia- of what he actually thinks. He has the tightest circle of people around him, and (Continued on page 8) (Continued on page 16) 2 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, APRIL 14, 1996 No. 15 ANALYSIS: The Russian Duma resolution and Yeltsin’s postponed Kyiv visit NEWSBRIEFSNEWSBRIEFS Lukashenka plans to expel diplomats and initial vote on the draft constitution, by Markian Bilynskyj cipal foreign policy concern, in the words scheduled for April 17. Simultaneously, of Foreign Minister Yevgeniy Primakov MIENSK — Belarusian President The first meeting of the joint Rukh deputies have indicated they intend – to concessions by Kyiv on the Black Alyaksandr Lukashenka threatened on to move for a vote of no confidence in Mr. Ukrainian-Russian Cooperation Sea Fleet (BSF) issue. April 4 to expel diplomats who attended Committee, formed in February, took Moroz on April 16. According to Volody- (More accurately, concession on the mass rallies denouncing his pro-Russian myr Kulynych, a deputy from Rukh, this place in Moscow on March 20 against terms and condition under which Russia policies, international media reported. Some the background of the Russian Duma’s initiative has been co-sponsored by over is to lease port facilities in Sevastopil. 30,000 people demonstrated here on April 2 150 deputies as of April 10. (Respublika) recent denunciation of the December Last year the Duma declared Sevastopil a against the recently signed union treaty with 1991 agreement that replaced the Soviet prefecture of Moscow with the heavy Russia. Among those present were U.S., Leaders attend Chornobyl conference Union with the Commonwealth of inference that a Ukrainian presence in the Polish and other diplomatic observers. Mr. Independent States (CIS). city was not welcome. This obviously Lukashenka also vowed to withdraw VIENNA — Belarusian President During a joint press conference follow- casts a shadow on the dual-basing accreditations from journalists who covered Alyaksandr Lukashenka and Ukrainian ing the meeting, the committee co-chair- arrangement the two sides have seeming- the events. He said he had started “active Prime Minister Yevhen Marchuk arrived men, Ukrainian Prime Minister Yevhen ly agreed to and on which Ukraine is talks” with Russian Television, whose jour- here on April 9 to participate in a four-day conference on Chornobyl, international Marchuk and his Russian counterpart, extremely unlikely to concede. The divi- nalists covered the rally. “These journalists agencies reported. Mr. Marchuk told dele- Viktor Chernomyrdin, made light of the sion of the fleet itself appears to be pro- will not be working for many more days,” gates that Ukraine intends to close down Duma’s action, claiming that the two gov- ceeding smoothly.
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