BYuT soldiers on without its leader.

Roman Zabzaliuk - Source Photo

Ukraine – There are questions arising in concern of the ex-Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko.  One of these questions include “If and when ex-Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko is released from prison,  will she still have followers to lead?”  This question’s answer will only be possible to be given upon release of Tymoshenko.  Even though there is a growth in international support for her release the Fatherland Party to which Tymoshenko belonged has lost quite  a few lawmakers in the 450-seat legislature,  which is a shocking revealing because they have been leading the polls ahead of the October 28 parliamentary election.  The September 2007 parliamentary elections had proven successful for the Bloc of Yulia Tymoshenko,  also known as the BYuT,  as she won 156 seats in parliament.  However since that time the faction has lost 53 members who switched alliances,  thus there are only 103 deputies left.  Three left recently.  While this is not a hard-scale problem,  there is a division shown in the party from within as the time goes by since her arrest in August and her conviction in October.  According to Oleksiy Haran,  who is a political science professor at the National University of Kyiv Mohyla Academy,  “The problem of the Fatherland party is that it is based on one leader.  When we remove the leader we see the removal of the frame which held the party together.”  Some of the lawmakers who switched from Tymoshenko’s faction in parliament to pro-presidential or natural groups are tycoons.  According analysts they had to quit the ranks of the leading opposition party was in the interest of their survival for their business interests.  The rest were ideologues.  It was said by Tymoshenko’s party that pro-presidential interests have been offering millions of dollars in political bribes to the lawmakers who agreed to drop her faction in parliament.  On 8 February,  Tymoshenko’s longtime ally,  Roman Zabzaliuk produced first-hand proof of how such political corruption works.  December of last year,  eyebrows were raised by Zabzaliuk upon the announcing that he,  who was considered one of Tymoshenko’s most loyal lawmakers in parliament,  left her faction to join hands with the quasi centrist pro-presidential Reforms for the Future parliamentary group.  During the press conference held on 8 February Zabzaliuk shocked the Ukraine political establishment in claiming the switch of parties was all part of an undercover investigation.  He said that the purpose of this was to investigate how bribes are offered and given to lawmakers who change parties.  Zabzaliuk said that it is all part of the attempt by President Victor Yanukovych’s administration to discredit the political opposition and to lay the groundwork for electoral fraud in the coming parliamentary elections.  Zabzaliuk said late last year that he got almost half a million US Dollars for quitting BYut and joining the Reforms for Future group from its eader and ex-BYuT deputy Ihor Rybakov.  According to a statement Rybakov refuted the allegations,  saying the recordings were fake and that he merely gave Zabzaliuk some money,  actually half a million dollars is a whole lot,  as a gift to help him afford medical treatment abroad for a medical condition.  Zabzaliuk played an audio recording of conversations during a 8 February press conference in which he is said to be discussing betrayal Tymoshenko’s party with Rybakov to receive a decent payoff.  A voice resembling that of Rybakov offers money to a person sounding like Zabzaliuk to switch political parties and working to serving BYuT,  can be heard during the recorded conversation.  During the press conference Zabzaliuk said  “They offer money to sell your conscience.  We are talking here about $500,000 in advance payment followed up by a monthly salary $20,000-25,000…plus bonuses for lies against the opposition.”  The audio recording demonstrated bt Zabzaliuk,  the voice resembling Rybakov is heard telling Zabzaliuk to get people loyal to the current authorities into election district commissions but identified as representatives as Tymoshenko’s party.  Zabzaliuk admitted to accepting $500,000 from Rybokov as part of the undercover operation,  he said that he will donate the funding to Tymoshenko’s party coffers.  This would not only explain why so many former Tymoshenko allies which was considered very loyal indeed have quit the party.  One of the politicians who left the party is lawmaker Natalia Korolevska well known for her snappy sartorial style and good looks as for her political work.  She joined the Ukrainian Social Democratic Party and was elected to its head just as quickly as she joined.  This party has been an ally for Tymoshenko’s Fatherland Party and was previously headed by another Tymoshenko’s faction lawmakers,  the former deputy justice minister Yevhen Korniychuk.  Yevhen Suslov,  formerly head of the youth arm of Tymoshenko’s party, and fellow lawmaker Oleksiy Lohvynenko,  swiftly joined Korolevska’s party.  It is still unclear why Korolevska and others would want to quit Tymoshenko’s party which currently leads the polls and move to a very small little known party that is not likely to pass the 5% threshold needed to get lawmakers into parliament through the party-list mandate.  It was said by analysts and insiders that the move was driven by Korolevska’s ambition.  A former deputy prime minister who is now running the Fatherland Party on behalf of Tymoshenko’s,  Oleksandr Turchynov,  due to her absence,  says it takes courage to remain in the party due to the constant pressure and threat of political persecution from authorities.  “Not everyone can sustain the pressure and risk their lives and their freedom.”  Turchynov said.  Political scientist Haran says Tymoshenko’s imprisonment will separate those who are true believers from those who simply joined to lobby for their businesses.  “In the current situation it is hard for these people to remain in the opposition,”  Haran said,  as he referred to the widespread allegations of political persecution of opposition politicians under Yanukovych’s rule.  Turchynov has long been Tymoshenko’s right-handed man.  His management style has been criticized by some insiders.  “Some are not happy with Turchynov.”  Haran said,  adding that he is not charismatic.  When he was asked about divisions in the Fatherland Party,  Korolevska did not refute them,  but added that she will try to have the problems “solved within the bloc.”  /  One clear-cut of the divisions was exposed when part of the BYuT faction joined pro-presidential lawmakers in supporting a new election law that some critics say diminishes the chances of free and fair parliamentary elections on Oct. 28.  /  /  Turchynov supported the election law.  Tymosenko did not.  / 

Source:  Kyiv Post staff writer Yuriy Onyshkiv and can be reached on onyshkiv@kyivpost.com.