Rada session marred by melee; deputies attempt to oust Moroz (05/18/97)

Rada session marred by melee; deputies attempt to oust Moroz

by Roman Woronowycz
Kyiv Press Bureau

KYIV - Ukraine's Verkhovna Rada showed again on May 13 why at times it can be more accurately described as a circus than a legislative body.

In two separate incidents, the politicians first took part in a free-for-all that involved a large number of the legislators present in the Parliament's chambers, then attempted unsuccessfully to have Verkhovna Rada chairman Oleksander Moroz removed from his post for failing to carry out his official duties.

At the heart of both incidents is the ongoing political war between forces of the left and the right, and the stalemate that has occurred in the legislature over passage of a tax reform package and a 1997 budget.

The petition to oust Chairman Moroz was supported by President Leonid Kuchma and signed by a majority of national deputies, after a proposal to put the motion before the full legislative body was approved during a meeting of chairmen of Verkhovna Rada committees the previous day.

The first incident began with an exchange of blows between the leader of the Communist Party, Deputy Petro Symonenko, and Deputy Stepan Khmara, after Mr. Symonenko was asked by Chairman Moroz to take the podium to explain why so few from his party had registered for that day's session of Parliament.

Many deputies said they believed that Messrs. Symonenko and Moroz had organized the boycott of the session by leftist forces to delay the vote of no-confidence in the Verkhovna Rada chairman.

Deputy Symonenko said the Communists were protesting the way in which participants of the May 9 Victory Day celebrations in Lviv had been treated by police during scuffles between veterans of the Red Army and of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army. He demanded that the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Procurator General's Office deliver reports on the incidents.

As Mr. Symonenko spoke, Deputy Khmara approached the rostrum and pushed the Communist leader. Mr. Symonenko's supporters quickly jumped on Mr. Khmara and the melee began. It took almost 20 minutes to restore order.

The incident was only a warm-up for the battle to oust Chairman Moroz, which began with words from Reform faction leader Serhii Soboliev after the deputies returned. Mr. Soboliev demanded that the chairman of the Verkhovna Rada, the prime minister and the procurator general should all resign in order to save democracy in Ukraine.

This again led to disruptions in the hall, with Communists gathering around the speaker's rostrum.

After calling for a break, Chairman Moroz met with faction leaders and decided that the no-confidence vote proposal, which had been signed by 220 deputies on May 12, would be debated, with two representatives making statements for a vote and two against it.

Initiating the debate was the chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Rules and Procedures, Petro Sheiko, who severely criticized Mr. Moroz for repeated violations of the rules of procedures and for failing to provide the deputies with copies of his personal annual financial statements for several years.

Mr. Sheiko also accused the Verkhovna Rada leader of "turning the Parliament into the headquarters of the Communist and Socialist parties."

Stepping forward to defend Mr. Moroz were Socialist Party members Rostyslav Chapiuk, who cited the chairman's work in bringing about the adoption of Ukraine's new Constitution, and Yevhen Smirnov, who said the recall effort was a move by representatives of President Kuchma to neutralize the Verkhovna Rada and make it a puppet of the president.

Oleksander Lavrynovych of the Rukh faction came out for the resignation of Mr. Moroz as did Constitutional Center leader Mykhailo Syrota. Both men emphasized that it is not proper for the leader of Parliament to also be a leader of the opposition.

After all the antics and statements, the effort to replace the Verkhovna Rada chairman fell 40 votes short of the required number of 226, an absolute majority of the 450-member Verkhovna Rada. The vote was 186 to 183 in favor of ousting the chairman.

This was the third time that Mr. Moroz faced a no-confidence vote, but it was the most serious effort to date. It was led by the Reform and Rukh factions and even included President Kuchma. Afterwards Mr. Moroz accused President Kuchma and the Cabinet of Ministers of intensely pressuring deputies to vote for a no-confidence measure. "I know that some of those who signed the [no-confidence] petition were offered ministerial posts, some were offered vice-chairmen's posts, and some were offered my post. I know which were offered a free car for their signature and which an apartment," said Mr. Moroz.

Communist Party leader Mr. Symonenko said Vice Prime Minister Vasyl Durdynets was responsible for the behind-the-scenes deals allegedly made. "We are ready to produce evidence that a number of deputies who signed the petition were called to Durdynets' office and threatened there," he explained.

Mr. Durdynets, who along with Prime Minister Pavlo Lazarenko was present in the hall during the day's proceedings, did not speak before the legislature. His spokesman Valerii Yasynovsky told the Kyiv Post on May 14, "It is impossible to prove or disclaim anything in this case, since you cannot explain statements inspired by delirium tremens."

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