Blue &Yellow: Politics and Economics in Ukraine

There are two extremely important aspects. Firstly, the price of the post that was put on auction this week is very high, even under the present conditions of high political inflation. Secondly, the speaker is an important link in the chain of state decision-making. His absence causes hypoxia and subsequent clinical death. The President’s resignation would be less painful to the country, because his functions would be taken over by the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada. A vote of no confidence in the Prime Minister would not shatter the government, as the Premier would continue heading the government, only in the capacity of “acting Prime Minister” until the parliament appointed a successor. In this case the Constitution does not provide for an “acting” speaker of the parliament. Even the vice speaker has no right to sign bills passed by the parliament as this right is vested exclusively in the legitimately elected Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada.

In the absence of the speaker it is difficult to fight the economic crisis because the unsigned anti-crisis bills are just sheets of paper and it is impossible to start the election campaign because the budget bill (with funds earmarked for the election) is invalid without his signature. In some cases the speaker has the right to sign normative acts in lieu of the President, but even the President has no right to act for the speaker.

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Ivan Plyushch would be OK to both Akhmetov and Yushchenko, but the OU-PSD, the Communists, and the Lytvyn Bloc are not ready yet to vote for him.

Volodymyr Lytvyn appears to be the most acceptable candidate, but talks with him have been going poorly. One influential member of the RP confessed that “any candidate would do as long as he would not hamper the election campaign. The RP is perhaps the only political force in the incumbent parliament that still wants the election. Most of its members are sure that