Turning the pages back... May 18, 1994 (05/18/97)

Turning the pages back...

May 18, 1994

Three years ago to the day, Oleksander Moroz, leader of the Socialist Party of Ukraine, was elected chairman of the Verkhovna Rada. Our Kyiv correspondent Roman Woronowycz reported that Mr. Moroz won handily over his closest rival, Vasyl Durdynets, in a vote many parliamentarians had predicted would be much closer.

Following are excerpts about the election published on the front page of The Weekly.

* * *

Initially, it seemed the struggle for the position would end in a draw, making necessary a second ballot. In the end, 171 deputies decided that Mr. Moroz, a 52-year-old former mechanical engineer and trained Communist political scientist, would help them fulfill their agenda. Mr. Durdynets could garner only 103 supporters. ... Mr. Moroz is faced with the daunting task of trying to stimulate a comatose economy, resolve military issues with Russia as well as determine the fate of Crimea.

He said, "The Verkhovna Rada has many important issues it must confront, especially the current economic catastrophe in Ukraine." He did not believe that a return to the ruble zone would solve Ukraine's problems and most important, as he explained, was "to stop the import of products that can be produced here."

He called it a tragedy that the government "was supporting and even taking part in mechanisms that rob the people," alluding to alleged government corruption and the growing influence of organized crime in Ukraine.

Once elected, Mr. Moroz began the process of conciliation. "The one word by which I explain my feelings is responsibility ... I hope that we will be able to work to resolve the critical issues that have put this country in the dire situation it currently finds itself."

Mr. Moroz's victory surprised many. The election would be a dead heat, said many deputies from the centrist and right-leaning blocs ... they thought the 170 votes needed to elect a new leader of Parliament would not allow any of the four candidates to win the mandate on the first ballot. Mr. Moroz has strong backing as the new head of Ukraine's legislative body. He is supported by the Socialist Party of Ukraine, the Communist Party of Ukraine and the Agrarian Party, a force that issues him at least 120 votes of the 336 in Parliament.

The reaction to Mr. Moroz's election was fast and non-compromising. "This shows that Ukraine is returning to its Communist roots," said Deputy Serhii Holovatyi.

Vyacheslav Chornovil predicted: "Inevitably, a major confrontation will occur in Parliament. Even if Moroz leans slightly to the center, he will be drawn back to the left. He has only 15 Socialists in Parliament and must rely on the Communists."

Source: "Socialist Party Chairman Moroz elected speaker of Parliament" by Roman Woronowycz, Kyiv Press Bureau, The Ukrainian Weekly, May 22, 1994 (No. 21).

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