The political leader of Our Ukraine promised the party's revival

On Saturday, the VII Congress of the Our Ukraine (NU) party, whose political leader is President Viktor Yushchenko, took place in Kyiv. The head of state assured his comrades that NU had entered a renaissance era and only victories awaited it ahead. In the meantime, representatives of Our Ukraine, at the instigation of Mr. Yushchenko, decided to distance themselves from the ruling coalition, but did not recall their ministers from the government.

The two previous congresses of Our Ukraine were held behind closed doors. On Saturday, not only delegates, but also representatives of the media and clergy came to the House of Culture of the Kyiv Polytechnic Institute. The day before, it was planned that the congress would decide on the nomination of Viktor Yushchenko for the presidency, but this issue was postponed until the fall. According to Kommersant's information, the congress will nominate Mr. Yushchenko as a candidate on September 17, two days before the start of the election campaign. However, these are formalities: both the president and the delegates have already decided everything.

“We will go to the polls,” announced Viktor Yushchenko. “And, by the way, so you remember: we will win!”

Later, when journalists decided to clarify which elections Mr. Yushchenko was talking about: the next presidential or extraordinary parliamentary elections, he said: “Both of them.”

— We don’t have a project on how to divide the country into two or three politicians. Our project is a consolidated nation,” said Viktor Yushchenko, admitting that this idea may not yet be accepted by society. “We have a different task: we talk about difficult things that do not add to our rating, but this is our mission - to be half a corps ahead.

Meanwhile, the participants of the congress were interested not only in big politics. The leader, who promised the party an era of renaissance, was continually “brought down to earth” by representatives of regional NU organizations.

“I have a feeling that a renaissance begins in the party as the elections approach!” — Olga Repikhovich, the head of the Novobuz party organization (Nikolaev region), was indignant. “We, of course, will win and go through everything, but I ask you to resolve the material issue of the work of the executive committees.” We work in terrible conditions! We sit in unheated offices, we don’t have office pay for five months, we don’t receive a salary for several months! It may be unpatriotic, but we must solve these problems too.

Mr. Yushchenko listened to all the complaints against the NU leadership in silence and answered them in his final speech, shifting all responsibility to local leaders.

“No one has learned to whip his party better than us.” They gathered the political council and said: “Guys, let’s figure out what our situation is regarding wages, regarding the development of the party”... Whose responsibility is this? Central Council problem? - the political leader of Our Ukraine was indignant. - I am the president of this country, guys. You have to stand at the elbow on the left and right and do these little tasks.

The president addressed his last words to a specific person - the head of the Zaporozhye regional organization of NU, Evgeniy Chervonenko, who even before the congress announced plans to leave the party (see Kommersant on June 22). On Saturday, their conflict became public.

“The moment of truth has come for me. “Here in my pocket is my party card number 17,” said Mr. Chervonenko, putting his hand on his heart. “Some of the functionaries in this room are waiting for me to now put it on the president’s desk.” I admit, I thought about this a lot...

“Don’t think, Zhenya,” Viktor Yushchenko said from the presidium, looking angrily at Yevgeny Chervonenko. “Do it!”

After these words, the head of the regional party organization simply had to announce his withdrawal, but was unable to do so.

The delegates behaved the same way both when they accused Viktor Yushchenko and when they listened to his accusations: they applauded. Therefore, it was not difficult to predict the voting results. The congress participants unanimously obliged the deputies representing Our Ukraine in the ruling coalition to withdraw their signatures on the coalition agreement. There are, however, only four such deputies, and the party admits that this is more of a political move than a decision that will have legal consequences.

Having announced their desire to leave the parliamentary majority, NU members were not ready to go further and oblige their ministers to leave the government.

“Ministers, while remaining in their posts, have the opportunity to ensure the implementation of ideological provisions and promises made by the party,” Minister of Justice Nikolai Onishchuk explained to Kommersant the decision of the NU.

Another decision of the congress concerned the prime minister, whom, judging by Mr. Yushchenko’s speeches, he considers his main competitor in the presidential election. “We demand that Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko either renounce her presidential ambitions or resign,” says the congress resolution. Mrs. Tymoshenko has not yet responded to this demand.

Valery Kommersant-Kalnysh

Viktor Yushchenko is determined to win