04/21/2008 | Sean

by Editorial , Kyiv Post
Apr 17 2008, 01:53

Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko thinks Kyiv’s mayor is corrupt, so instead of filing criminal charges to a prosecutor’s office that is not trusted by her, she led the charge for pre-term elections.

In her political maneuvering, it’s quite obvious Tymoshenko is attempting to gain control of the Kyiv City Council and mayoral chair. However, the latest polls reveal incumbent Leonid Chernovetskiy has a strong chance of winning the mayoral election, which will occur in a single round in all likelihood.

Though Chernovetskiy's lead is nowhere near a majority, it could be enough to defeat any contender. The very election Tymoshenko wanted in order to remove Chernovetskiy may become her first big political defeat in recent years and reduce her credibility with voters.

Failing to reach a power-sharing agreement with former boxing champion Vitali Klitschko, who has a chance to win if backed by the Tymoshenko Bloc, and knowing that her bloc’s candidate Oleksandr Turchynov has slim chances, the premier isn’t satisfied with the pre-term election anymore. She wants a second round run-off to increase the odds of ousting Chernovetskiy.

It’s a move sharply opposed by President Viktor Yushchenko. Yet some of his closest allies have joined Tymoshenko in supporting a run-off.

The coalition needs to pass a bill in parliament to establish a run-off. The president could very well veto such a bill, allowing Tymoshenko to blame him for securing a Chernovetskiy victory.

Its clear Tymoshenko continues to play her cards masterfully with an ultimate goals in mind – beating Yushchenko in the presidential campaign that kicks off in 2009. But with the call for a runoff in Kyiv, and other recent questionable moves, she is overstepping, setting bad precedents and putting her personal victory above Ukraine’s interests.

Changing the rules of the game once it’s started is unacceptable in mature democracies, and it should be unacceptable in Kyiv. If Tymoshenko doesn’t like the current election rules and foresees a defeat for her righthand man Turchynov, then she should run herself.

But the Kyiv elections’ structure and regulations are something the prime minister should have thought of before she led the charge for the pre-term mayoral election. And if it comes to it, swallowing defeat with dignity is better than stretching the fibers of democracy.

A run-off might be the right option looking down the road to ensure that elected leaders in Kyiv and other cities garner more than 20 percent support. But if that is the case, such legislation should take effect after the Kyiv elections, not at the last minute beforehand.