The week’s milestones. Truce at the highest level and ratings as a direction to action

The confrontation between the president and the team of Ihor Kolomoisky has come to naught and did not have irreversible negative consequences for the state. The government’s popularity will push it toward unpopular moves and increased populism.

The “Private” versus the state confrontation resulted in Ihor Kolomoisky’s resignation as head of Dnipropetrovsk Regional State Administration. This step allowed all parties to the conflict to avoid embarrassment, while any drop in Kolomoisky’s influence in Dnipropetrovsk region and the whole east of the country is unlikely. Kolomoisky left the governor's chair with the image of “the most patriotic oligarch” which he will attempt to convert into real political influence in the local elections scheduled for this autumn. At least there were many potential supporters of his onstage during the rally “Dnepr is Ukraine” on Saturday.

And here we see surprisingly interesting thing – Vitaliy Klitschko’s team, which dominates in the Kyiv city administration, has actually stopped hiding its lack of interest in the new electoral marathon. Surely, one can find some legal issues to try to reschedule local elections in the capital and throughout the country, but Ukraine will not benefit from someone doing it even with the most plausible excuse. And Kolomoisky will neither, as his maturing political project needs legalization mechanisms in the current situation. And the country's leadership in the today’s environment is absolutely interested in persuasively demonstrating an ability to maintain democratic procedures as a constant.

The ratings published last week showed that none of Petro Poroshenko’s competitors are breathing down his neck, the voters have not forgotten Anatoliy Hrytsenko and Oleh Tyahnybok, who were deprived of a parliamentary presence, but remained active in social networks and on TV. The assumptions that the Opposition Bloc will be able to gain revenge are groundless, according to the surveys. But it is also interesting that almost one out of five voters have not made up their minds. This fact suggests that some political projects which have lurked in shadows are now coming into the light again, and new projects are emerging with an eye to the local elections.

It’s no surprise Yatseniuk decided to focus on fighting corruption / Photo UNIAN

In the wake of a rapid decline in popularity, the prime minister needs more decisive action. The spectacular arrest of chiefs of the State Emergency Service in the middle of a cabinet meeting was surely a hit with the general public, but the fuss around the arrest of Serhiy Bochkovsky and Vasily Stoetsky doesn’t show Ukrainian law enforcement in a good light. And this is not just about the need to reform the judicial system, but also about the degree of effectiveness of the Ministry of Interior.

It appears that Arseniy Yatseniuk quite deliberately focused on fighting corruption in regional centers, showing willingness to raise funds for material incentives for senior investigators there. In the regions people tend to be less sensitive to corruption, and also the belief in a “man from the capital” is stronger there. Particularly telling is the prime minister’s remark that there are “no gaps” between him and the president's team. We hope that this thesis will be confirmed at the time of voting for significant bills and a possible reformatting of the government.

The General Prosecutor's Office has not only submitted to court an indictment against Gennady Kernes, but also opened a criminal investigation into the abuse of power in the Ukrainian government. Viktor Shokin has a perfect chance to prove that for him there are no untouchables, as the head is not only something that begins to stink in a fish, but also something that should initiate the most effective fight against corruption.

By Yevgeny Magda

UNIAN in Google News