On November 16, Viktor Yanukovych dismissed the elusive Leonid Chernovetsky from the post of the head of Kyiv Municipal State Administration and appointed the mayor in all but name Oleksandr Popov.
The president would not explain the reasons for this decision. However, on Monday this was done by Mykola Azarov quite clearly.
“At present, Mr. Chernovetsky mostly performs representative functions, while the entire burden of work, all the administrative decisions are taken by Popov together with the Cabinet of Ministers,” said the prime minister.
Actually, the mayor had not even performed representative functions for a long time already. He was nowhere to be seen for the past several months, while the responsibility of administering the capital has been in the hands of Popov and his team.
“The president merely legalized the de facto situation. Popov had been performing the functions of the head of the Kyiv municipal state administration, as it is,” explained the Party of Regions MP Mykhailo Chechetov to the journalists in the lobby of the Verkhovna Rada.
In reality, the main question here, just as in the case of Baloha’s appointment, is why the president had been procrastinating with the decision so long. Political analysts offered various theories. It was rumored that the pre-sident was not yet certain about the candidacy and that he had been considering other options as well. For example, despite the fact that Popov was doing well, another person could be appointed to supervise him. Among the alleged appointees was the incumbent Minister of Justice Oleksandr Lavrynovych, who is said to have declined the offer.
By the way, Popov was previously seen as Liovochkin’s minion. So this can be interpreted as yet another victory for the almighty head of the Presidential Administration.
Now the most exciting question is how Chernovetsky is going to react. Will he swallow another pill, or take legal action? The mayor’s briefing is scheduled for today, but his advisor Marta Hrymska promptly announced that Chernovetsky would not appeal the decision of his dismissal in a court of law. “Mr. Chernovetsky remains the city head and the head of the Kyiv council, and he is working in this direction,” she remarked.
In reality, a re-election in Kyiv is the last thing the authorities want. According to the September poll held by the Razumkov Center, it is Vitali Klitschko who stands the best chances to win the mayor’s throne as he is supported by 25 percent of residents. However, there has been no recent sociological data for a while. It is quite probable that Popov’s approval ra-tings have considerably grown over the past days.
As for Popov himself, he is making far-reaching plans now. Last Friday, he presented projects to the cabinet which are supposed to have been implemented in Kyiv by 2015. The plans are grandiose. They promise to build 13 underground railway stations, a highway junction at Leninhradska Square, reconstruct the airport in Zhuliany, and totally renovate the quay. Besides, Popov has promised to build new residential blocks in place of the old apartment buildings dating back to Khrushchev era, as well as a water park and entertainment centers. Most of the construction is planned to be funded by investors, while the junction and underground stations will be built with the budget money. If at least half of the promises is kept, Popov’s chances will grow considerably. However it is clear that until Bankova Street is certain of its candidate’s victory, there will be no election in Kyiv.
It is also quite obvious that no one will bemoan Chernovetsky’s dismissal. His buckwheat porridge has proved much too expensive for the city coffers. Moreover, nobody knows how the unsystematic and uncontrolled distribution of land, which was practiced by the incumbent mayor’s unforgettable “young team,” will reverberate. If the land is going to be used to build high-rise apartment blocks, in five years Kyiv will be unrecognizable.
Kostiantyn MATVIENKO, expert, corporation for strategic consulting Hardaryka:
“New Ukrainian politicians and businessmen consider politics as an additional resource for enrichment. So it is natural for a successful businessman to come to power and, being unaware of social and political responsibilities, act using the ‘crocodile method,’ trying to eat as much as possible.
“As for Chernovetsky, he and his so-called ‘young team’ were focused on the utilization of municipal assets. Eventually there were other people who thought, hey, why can’t we do the same? This resulted in a redistribution of interests following the reshaping of power as a source of wealth. Thence this predictable dismissal.
“Why now? By expanding to all the branches of Ukrainian power, the Party of Regions is acting methodically. Solving the problem of the local elections, they eventually decided to conquer Kyiv. I do not think they can afford an early election in the capital. The longer the PoR remains in power, the less trust it will have among the residents of Kyiv.
“Now about Popov. At first, when he was appointed first deputy head of the Kyiv Municipal State Administration, I welcomed this move. He is an official who, despite working for the secret service, nevertheless has experience serving as mayor, no matter how small the town of Komsomolsk is. Yes, there were certain positive moves, but then came bombastic statements concerning the opening of new underground stations, a fast tram line, an overpass in Moscow Square — but nothing was actually done. There are many complaints about heating, elevators in residential blocks, the underground fares have risen, and so on. All this testifies to the absence of the new administration’s strategy for the development of Kyiv.”
Volodymyr LUPATSII, political scientist, director, Social Research Center “Sofia”:
“This decision means the perpetuation of the Party of Regions’ power over Kyiv, that is, they have got total control over the capital now. There are two aspects to this. Firstly, the person who is to become the mayor of the capital has to be competent and must stand up for the interests of the community, rather than pursue their own or corporate goals. Secondly, Kyiv is a city of double subordination, which means that it is also subordinate to the central administration. Therefore the city head has to be both legitimate and have the support of the ruling team.
“Certainly, an early election, in the event of Chernovetsky’s resignation, cannot be excluded. But the appointment of Popov means more weight and power given to him, which will enable him to act more confidently.”
