Ukraine in for prolonged stand-off after election, expert warns

February03201018:21

The Feb. 3 fistfight among Rada deputies, blockade of the rostrum, and declarations by the Regions that they will accept only victory in the runoff, demonstrate amply what kind of political confrontation will set in after the election, Vitaly Bala, director of the Agency for Modeling Situations, says.

“One faction blocs the rostrum, the other one the presidium. The same kind of pattern will follow after the election. That is why the Yanukovych team decided to demonstrate to the public their absolute commitment to stand by their interests. And there is no effective deterrent for such kind of political aggression. The Regions won’t stop short of any means to make their case and attain their goals,” Bala stresses.
Such aggressive advance to power flouts the standards of democracy and competition, leading eventually to the devaluation of power.
By playing hard ball with each other, the major rivals will bring about low respect to the newly elected power and trigger off questions as to its legitimacy. If Yanukovych becomes president by filing court lawsuits or vote-rigging, the institute of presidency may lose its appeal. Demands to revise the election results or calls for another presidential election may follow,” Vitaly Bala opines.