The Ukrainian Weekly, 2015
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INSIDE: l Ukraine marks first Day of the Defender – page 5 l “Ukrainian Diaspora: Women Artists, 1908-2015” – page 9 l UACCNJ’s 6th annual festival shines despite rain – page 11 THEPublished U by theKRAINIAN Ukrainian National Association Inc., a fraternal W non-profit associationEEKLY Vol. LXXXIII No. 43 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2015 $2.00 Freeland, Wrzesnewskyj among Ukrainians Complicated local election rules elected in Liberal Party landslide in Canada draw wide criticism in Ukraine by Zenon Zawada they don’t know anything. The poll was conducted among 2,040 respondents KYIV – Just as Ukrainian President Petro between October 8 and 20 (the poll’s mar- Poroshenko failed to ensure open party list gin of error was 2.3 percent). voting in the 2014 parliamentary elections, “The new election system gives birth to now the local elections to take place on new problems and exacerbated old ones in October 25 will also occur without genuine prior systems. Many unpleasant surprises open party lists, which is widely considered can await us without the appropriate expla- the optimal voting system for Ukraine. nation of the mechanics of an election sys- Instead, Ukraine’s Parliament in July tem,” Mr. Vasylchenko said. approved an election system that is a com- The mutated system was designed by plex mutation of single-mandate voting and the political establishment – aligned with closed party lists, which most voters will the president – to fulfill two goals, observ- not understand when casting their ballots, ers said. To satisfy the West, it wants to be political observers said. able to claim that open party lists were “The system is the most complicated of introduced, despite that not genuinely all that existed in Ukraine,” said Serhii being done. Additionally, they wanted to Borys Wrzesnewskyj and Chrystia Freeland, who were elected to Canada’s Parliament Vasylchenko, the board chairman of the ensure control of the local councils, particu- as Liberal Party candidates, in the profile photos from their Facebook pages. Ukrainian Center for Social Data. “The citi- larly amid plans for constitutional amend- huge, 14,637-vote margin (37,712 com- zens don’t understand it. State officials ments to decentralize power. by Christopher Guly don’t understand it. Civic activists don’t “The system hasn’t become transparent, Special to The Ukrainian Weekly pared to 23,075 for Mr. Opitz), relieving the returning Liberal MP of having to re- understand it, even with experience in and these aren’t open lists,” said Petro observing elections. It’s not even under- OTTAWA – Canadian Prime Minister- engage the courts to decide on a winner, Oleshchuk, a political science lecturer at stood by representatives of party organiza- designate Justin Trudeau’s 184-member which in the case of the 2011 results found Taras Shevchenko National University in tions and headquarters.” Liberal House of Commons caucus will the matter finally resolved by the Supreme Kyiv. “Instead it’s a bizarre combination of Indeed, only 12 percent of Ukrainians include at least seven Members of Court of Canada three years ago in Mr. party lists and single-mandate voting. know about the new local elections law, Parliament with Ukrainian lineage elected Opitz’s favor. The 2015 results were more They’re playing a game with the goal of pro- while 48.5 percent “heard something about on October 19 following the Liberal Party’s along the lines of the large margins tecting the interests of the largest parties.” it” and 38 percent said they don’t know any- landslide majority win, according to a list 54-year-old Mr. Wrzesnewskyj had “This election campaign has been a giant thing, according to a poll released on October compiled by the Ukrainian Canadian attained when he won the same seat in manipulation. There are plenty of pam- 21 that was conducted jointly by the Congress (UCC). 2004, 2006 and 2008. phlets, billboards and candidates but few Kucheriv Democratic Initiatives Fund and Alberta-born Chrystia Freeland, who The Liberals will have three Ukrainian- are telling the voters that they’re not voting the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology. served as Liberal trade critic in the last Canadian newcomers from Ontario repre- for candidates, but parties,” Mr. Oleshchuk About 20 percent know how the elec- Parliament, easily won re-election to the senting them in the Commons. added. tions will be held, while 48 percent “heard House of Commons with 27,806 votes com- (Continued on page 4) something about that” and 23 percent said (Continued on page 4) pared to 15,969 for her nearest challenger, Harvard graduate and former MuchMusic VJ Jennifer Hollett of the left-of-center New Democratic Party (NDP). Ms. Freeland previously represented the Ukraine vows to challenge Russia during stint on U.N. Security Council Toronto Center riding, which she won in a that a permanent member of the U.N. 2013 by-election following former Liberal RFE/RL leader Bob Rae’s retirement from politics. Security Council is an aggressor in On October 15, Ukraine won a non-per- Ukraine, waging a hybrid war against She’s now the MP for the new riding of manent seat on the United Nations Ukraine,” Mr. Klimkin said. University-Rosedale that incorporates Security Council, giving the country a new He indicated Ukraine foresees gradual- parts of Toronto Center and another riding, platform to spar diplomatically with per- ly limiting and eventually abolishing the and which was created three years ago manent veto-wielding member Russia. right to veto on the Security Council, when 30 more ridings were added to Ukraine won the mandate to represent which is held by permanent members Canada’s electoral map. Eastern European countries on the coun- Russia, Britain, China, France and the A well-known journalist and writer, fre- cil. Four other countries – Egypt, Japan, United States. quent panelist on the popular HBO series Senegal, and Uruguay – were also elected “Abuse of the veto right – its usage as a “Real Time with Bill Maher,” and one of 13 to non-permanent seats on the 15-mem- ‘license to kill’ – is unacceptable,” Ukrainian Canadians banned by Russian President ber council for 2016-2017. Their terms President Petro Poroshenko told the U.N. Foreign Affairs Ministry of Ukraine Vladimir Putin from traveling to his coun- begin on January 1, 2016. in September. Foreign Affairs Minister Pavlo Klimkin, try, 47-year-old Ms. Freeland is favored to Ukraine was expected to win the France also wants to limit the use of be named to Mr. Trudeau’s Cabinet, whose speaking at the U.N. on October 15, said Security Council seat, and it had vowed to Ukraine’s election to the Security the veto. It has sought to persuade the members will be sworn in on November 4. stand up to Russia, which has used its other four permanent members not to use Joining her in the Liberal caucus will be Council “is a sign of world solidarity veto power to wage a strategic tug-of-war with Ukraine.” their veto when action is required to Borys Wrzesnewskyj, who returns to with Ukraine and the West. address a mass atrocity. Parliament Hill after losing the Toronto rid- Ukrainian Foreign Affairs Minister agenda but that its tone with Russia will Russia has vetoed two resolutions on ing of Etobicoke Center to Conservative Pavlo Klimkin, who traveled to New York “definitely not be conciliatory.” Ukraine – one affirming Crimea as part of candidate Ted Opitz by just 26 votes in the to campaign for his country’s election, “For the first time, we have an abso- last federal election in 2011. said that Ukraine has a broader global lutely unique, unimaginable situation... (Continued on page 17) This time, Mr. Wrzesnewskyj won by a 2 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2015 No. 43 ANALYSIS In Ukraine’s east: Russian hybrid war $15 M more in humanitarian aid the prime minister, the new minister will coordinate the work of key security, KYIV – The United States on October 16 defense, law enforcement and social agen- announced nearly $15 million in additional and Euro-hybrid democracy cies to ensure that the defenders of Ukraine humanitarian assistance to help those That would amount to enforcing Russia’s who are entitled to benefits and social by Vladimir Socor affected by the conflict in Ukraine. This interpretation of the letter of the Minsk guarantees are provided with them, he Eurasia Daily Monitor brings total U.S. humanitarian assistance to armistice on Ukraine as regards “elections.” said. Mr. Yatsenyuk appealed to the parlia- eastern Ukraine since the start of the crisis PART II Under the armistice, these elections are to mentary coalition, the ministries of defense be conducted under Ukrainian law, but to nearly $84 million. This new funding – Russian President Vladimir Putin, and internal affairs, non-governmental under modalities to be agreed between through U.S. Agency for International Aid German Chancellor Angela Merkel and organizations and Cabinet members to Kyiv and Donetsk-Luhansk – i.e., ultimately (USAID) Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster French President François Hollande have name nominees for the post of minister for under something other than Ukrainian law. Assistance – will provide emergency shel- prevailed on Ukrainian President Petro ATO affairs, who will coordinate the work This process “hybridizes” Ukrainian elec- ter assistance to help more than 35,000 Poroshenko to accommodate pseudo-elec- of medical, psychological and social reha- tions and sovereignty in this territory. people get through the upcoming winter. It tions in the Russian-controlled territory bilitation for 131,000 ATO participants. Mr. As disclosed by Ukraine’s influential will also provide safe drinking water and into a special Ukrainian law.