Klitschko struck a blow at the Ukrainian opposition

A week before the parliamentary elections in Ukraine, the opposition seriously quarreled. Boxer Vitali Klitschko's party "UDAR" refuses to create a coalition with Yulia Tymoshenko's opposition bloc until there are election results. Now Klitschko is accused of collaborating with the presidential Party of Regions, which, judging by the polls, will win the elections anyway. The problem is not this, but the boxer’s presidential ambitions, political scientist Konstantin Matvienko is sure.

Parliamentary elections will be held in Ukraine on October 28. President Viktor Yanukovych's "Party of Regions" will compete with "Fatherland" (BYuT, whose list includes prisoners Yulia Tymoshenko and Yuriy Lutsenko and former presidential candidate Arseniy Yatsenyuk), the "UDAR" party of boxer Vitaliy Klitschko, communists and nationalists from Oleg Tyagnibok's "Svoboda" . At the same time, back in March it was expected that Batkovshchina, Svoboda and UDAR could form a broad coalition, but the parties did not agree. Now, according to the latest opinion polls (of which there are many), it has become clear that it would be better to unite. According to TNS Ukraine, PR can get 33% of the votes, Batkovshchina - 24%, UDAR - 16%, just under 10% for the communists, and Svoboda will not pass at all. If the opposition had united, Yanukovych's defeat would have been crushing. But at least there was an agreement according to which Batkovshchina, UDAR and Svoboda would form a coalition in parliament.

Now she too was under threat. And if the parties do not agree, the PR deputies will again be in the majority. It was assumed that the cooperation agreement should have been signed before the elections. On Friday it will be signed only by BYuT and Svoboda. The document provides for the return of Ukraine to democracy, joint efforts to free Tymoshenko and Lutsenko and, if necessary, a joint vote to impeach the president.

“Today we received a response from Vitali Klitschko, who refused to sign the Agreement under a completely far-fetched pretext of unwillingness to participate in the division of portfolios. Such a response from a politician who has repeatedly stated that he represents democratic forces was frankly surprising. Indeed, in the draft Agreement, which was published on the website,” Batkovshchina" as early as Monday - not a word about the division of any portfolios," says the BYuT statement . "This is a step that plays in favor of the Party of Regions, this is a step that turns it into an ally of the regionalists, this is a step that will lead to the dispersion of democratic forces, and not to their unity in the fight against the current Yanukovych regime."

Klitschko is accused of acting “based on his own mercantile interests, and not on the interests of Ukraine.” “First elections, then coalition,” the boxer responded to this. This, in his words, is a “European tradition.” Klitschko also promised to “coordinate” with the others “actions and those areas where there are more opportunities for fraud.”

Kiev political scientist Konstantin Matvienko is confident that Batkovshchina needs a coalition more than his party, so he is in no hurry. “Klitschko’s party is moving upward, and Tymoshenko’s party is moving downward,” he argues. “Until recently, it would have been a great success for Klitschko to get into parliament, but now it turns out that he can become a leading political force, even without a majority, and increase your future presidential rating." Presidential elections, however, will be held in Ukraine only in 2015. “BYuT,” the expert continues, “does not understand that it is a junior partner and that Klitschko will determine the terms of interaction.” “That is why,” says Matvienko, “a coalition will not work, and there will be two opposition blocs in the Verkhovna Rada.” “The level of disappointment in the opposition in Ukraine is huge, and Klitschko seems to be an alternative. Therefore, ties with Tymoshenko’s company will not play into his hands,” the political scientist concludes. “But in any case, the public mood in Ukraine is not revolutionary, especially if the government copes with inflation and will not tighten the nuts."