Turning the pages back... February 29, 2004 (02/27/05)

Turning the pages back...

February 29, 2004

It was just one year ago at this time that Ukraine's two leading - yet undeclared - candidates for president offered serious criticisms of each other's political intentions, wrote our Kyiv correspondent at that time, Roman Woronowycz. Both were speakers at an international conference on "Ukraine, Europe and the World."

Viktor Yushchenko, head of Our Ukraine, was already the most popular politician in Ukraine and was seen as certain to run for the presidency. He questioned the government's initiative on a Single Economic Space with Russia, Belarus and Kazakstan, and its halting steps towards European integration. He criticized the majority coalition in Parliament for ramming through the first reading of a draft bill on amending the Constitution and the pro-presidential forces for taking control of the Rada by buying the allegiance of unaligned deputies after Our Ukraine had received a majority of popular support in the elections. And, he called on the world's leaders to keep a close eye on the upcoming presidential election.

He also noted that state leaders and the government were suppressing press freedoms, pointing to control of the mass media through ownership of the largest broadcast companies by individuals close to the state leadership and through news directives sent to the major broadcasters from the presidential administration.

Mr. Yanukovych emphasized the achievements of his government over the last two years, including strong economic growth and low inflation. He claimed that the parliamentary elections of 2002 had laid the groundwork for the improved economic situation in the country. "In 2002 a new system of government began to work. As the head of government, I could now count on both the president and the Parliament to support my work," he said.

While Mr. Yanukovych said he welcomed healthy political competition, he said he could not accept the "twisted form" of the current political opposition. "Our successes would have been far greater if the political opposition had not blocked the work of the Ukrainian government," said Mr. Yanukovych. "Under the slogan, 'the worse, the better,' they question every move by the president or the government."

Source: "Yushchenko and Yanukovych square off at international affairs conference in Kyiv," by Roman Woronowycz, Kyiv Press Bureau, The Ukrainian Weekly, February 29, 2004, Vol. LXXII. Vol. 9.

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