The grand-scale personnel rotation at the highest level of Ukrainian power – one of the prerequisites for a quality renewal of the state and society – is becoming a reality. Well, really, Yurko Lutsenko – the husky voice of the Maidan and a favorite of journalists (after all: always available, speaks vividly, with accents, or as television people say, "sound bites") – the chief "cop"?..

And Oleksandr Turchynov? An evangelical Christian, a novice writer who, terribly exhausted, on the night of the third round of elections almost didn't joke when he said that now he would like to become a preacher. But he became – the top SBU man!..

This is not the provocative and senseless discussion "about lustration." This is real lustration, moreover, without mass and unlawful violation of human rights, in its original essence – cleansing the government of the most shameful representatives of the Kuchma regime. Now, truly, we can say, Ukraine – without Kuchma. Well, almost.

The relocation of several dozen people's deputies from the building under the dome to the building with columns is becoming the start of another no less massive process – the move of an analogous number of well-known, little-known and completely unknown politicians to Kyiv. Because, according to the current election law, the filling of the Verkhovna Rada "in place of deputies who have left" occurs in two ways. By moving down the electoral list and by repeat elections in single-mandate constituencies. The latter is the hardest today.

LEGAL "TWIST"

On the day of the presentation of the new government, the Committee of Voters of Ukraine published a statement regarding ensuring the possibility of holding so-called "by-elections." KVU experts predict that the rotation of deputies elected in majoritarian constituencies is "problematic."

The thing is that part 7 of article 15 of the current law "On Elections of People's Deputies of Ukraine" makes it impossible to hold re-elections ("interim elections in a single-mandate constituency") of parliamentarians in place of those who have left. The document states in black and white that they: "are not held during one year before the day of holding regular elections."

And since there must be no fewer than sixty days from the date of announcement of interim elections to the day of voting, it is clear that a legal, as Boris Yeltsin used to say, "twist" arises. Without its regulation, the algorithm for replenishing the Verkhovna Rada with people's envoys will remain in question.

In this situation, there are two mutually exclusive options. Either for a year the citizens of 16 constituencies will not have "their" people's deputy. Or the deputies urgently adopt amendments to the election law. Actually, "Our Ukraine" members Yuriy Klyuchkovsky and Viktor Pynzenyk have already submitted a draft law regarding the timing of elections (registration number 7008 dated January 26, 2005).

In turn, after voting for these changes, the Central Election Commission must announce the holding of interim elections in the constituencies that have been "orphaned" due to deputies resigning their powers.

Constituencies are being vacated in Kyiv (where Teryokhin and Polishchuk were elected), Ivano-Frankivsk region (Zvarych and Tkach), Kyiv region (Zhovtyak), Zakarpattia (Baloha), Zhytomyr region (Zhebrivsky), Volyn (Bondar), Kherson region (Nikolaienko), Crimea (Ivanov), Ternopil region (Stoyko), Lviv region (Oliynyk), Dnipropetrovsk region (Kasianov), Zaporizhzhia (Artemenko), Chernihiv region (Atroshchenko), Khmelnytskyi region (Oluyko).

If the Verkhovna Rada adopts the necessary changes, and the CEC promptly announces repeat elections, then we will face about fifteen small rehearsals of future parliamentary elections.

MORE THAN A "BAKER'S DOZEN"

It is clear that the biggest changes are expected in the composition of the president's namesake faction. Fourteen "Our Ukraine" deputies have received appointments to the executive branch. The parliamentary seat No. 1 of Viktor Yushchenko is already being occupied by Olena Bondarenko, head of the Kyiv regional organization of the "Our Ukraine" party (formerly Rukh-PRP), a deputy of the previous convocation from NRU. The remaining candidates for deputies, starting from No. 75 on the "Our Ukraine" list, are waiting for the moment when the single-bloc ministers resign their powers.

Let's count on our fingers: in place of Pynzenyk (No. 5), Tarasyuk (No. 9), Bezsmertny (No. 13), Kyrylenko (No. 20), Rybachuk (No. 29), Chervonenko (No. 30), Zhvania (No. 33), Ihnatenko (No. 38), Shandra (No. 39), Pavlenko (No. 40), previously appointed first aide to the President of Ukraine Tretyakov (No. 41), Chervoniy (No. 55), Tomenko (No. 62), Bilozir (No. 70) – immediately fourteen (!) veterans of the "Our Ukraine" electoral list must enter parliament.

These are non-partisan head of the board of the Kyiv regional consumer union Volodymyr Pak, leader of the Khmelnytskyi regional organization of the UNP Levko Biryuk, head of the Lviv regional branch of the State Property Fund Stepan Davymuka (NRU), ex-deputy Mykhailo Ratushny (UNP), pushed out of the KUN leadership Serhiy Zhyzhko, "temporarily not working" (but in reality the head of Viktor Yushchenko's reception office) Vira Ulyanchenko (supposedly a member of the "Forward, Ukraine!" party), member of the National Council on Television and Radio Broadcasting Vitaliy Shevchenko (UNP), retired head of the State Committee for Entrepreneurship Mykola Sydorenko (non-partisan), another former people's deputy Yuriy Kryvoruchko (NRU), non-partisan head of the Cherkasy branch of the National Bank Oleksandr Cherevko, head of the Kherson regional branch of NRU Oleksandr Tkalenko, vice-president of CJSC "Techno-center" Valeriy Kelestyn (UNP), deputy city head Mykhailo Pozhyvanov ("Our Ukraine" party), head of the Council of Private Entrepreneurs of Ukraine Ksenia Lyapina (nothing is known about her party affiliation).

But from this list one can already definitely remove the just-appointed governor of Cherkasy region, Mr. Cherevko. And also, according to information from a very well-informed source in the new Ukrainian government, Vira Ivanivna Ulyanchenko, whom the authoritative "Dzerkalo Tyzhnia" directed to parliament, will receive a new prestigious position instead of a mandate – personal secretary of the president of Ukraine. How the distribution of official duties between the first aide and the secretary will take place – there is no reliable information yet.

There are also questions about what choice Messrs. Davymuka, Shevchenko and Pozhyvanov will make. Each of them has the opportunity – to remain in public service or to go back into public politics. So, the list of new deputies will be supplemented by another 2-5 positions within a few days.

In such a case, deputies almost guaranteed to become parliamentarian of the previous convocation Anatoliy Korchynsky ("Solidarity" party) and Larysa Usachenko, non-partisan, head of the trade unions of farmers and private landowners. And with high probability – the leader of Lviv Christian Democrats (the ones from Stretovych) Anton Ruzhytsky, head of the Mykolaiv regional NRU Yuriy Didenko and Viktor Yushchenko's trusted person in Drohobych Bohdan Butsa (non-partisan).

In this situation, the most pity is for the well-known Ukrainian poet and (a little bit) political technologist Volodymyr Tsybulko. The "Our Ukraine" list stopped right before his surname... Don't be sad, Volodya! In connection with the further formation of the new power vertical, it is not excluded that someone else from Viktor Andriyovych's parliamentary comrades will receive a tempting offer, and then the author of "Mein Kampf" will receive the status of not just a people's poet of the late 20th – early 21st century, but also a people's deputy.

If we count the party affiliation of those who left and those who came, the following picture emerges. Former Rukh-PRP: there were 2, there will be 1; NRU – 2 and 3; UNP – 2 and 4; Pavlenko's Youth Party and Bilozir's Christian-Social Party lose their only parliamentary representatives. Instead, one more member each of the Congress of Ukrainian Nationalists and "Solidarity" will become legislators. Instead of six non-partisans from the "Together" group, four who do not belong to any party are coming.

BYuT-SPU: COSMETIC CHANGES

The junior partners of the victorious "Force of the People" coalition – the Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc and the Socialist Party – will also bring several new faces to parliament.

The SPU, after exhausting bargaining with the head of state, which to some seemed similar to blackmail, received the right to modernize the faction with five comrades. Let me remind you that Lutsenko and Baranivsky went to become ministers, Bulba and Tschushko went to become Poltava and Odesa governors. And it has already been announced that the candidacy of Valentyna Semenyuk for the position of head of the State Property Fund has been submitted for Yushchenko's signature.

So, replacing them are ex-deputies of previous convocations Volodymyr Mukhin (now – adviser to the Human Rights Commissioner) and Mykhailo Stepanov, leaders of Kirovohrad and Sumy socialists Mykola Sadovyi (he is also deputy head of the already legendary territorial election commission No. 100, which did not sign the protocol falsified by the authorities) and Leonid Mordovets, as well as first deputy head of the Union of Young Socialists Yevhen Filindash.

If this happens, then regional member Vitaliy Khomutynnyk will lose the unofficial title of the youngest deputy of the Verkhovna Rada. The leader of "Young Regions of Ukraine" was born in 1976, and Filindash – a year later.

The Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc received few positions, but they are worth it. The incomparable Yulia at the head of the Cabinet, and Turchynov – at the head of the special services... In such a tandem in the days of the Maidan, I think, even the greatest optimists did not believe.

Now the places of the two leading BYuT members will be taken by Vitaliy Korzh, president of the well-known company "Global Ukraine," and deputy of the previous convocation, at one time the scandalous Mykolaiv crime journalist Oleksandr Nastenko.

It is interesting that in some publications Mr. Korzh is called the "ex-husband" of TV presenter Oksana Marchenko, the wife of the well-known oppositionist Viktor Volodymyrovych Medvedchuk.

The results of the investigation conducted indicate: Oksana's surname really used to be Korzh, but her husband was named Yuriy. The latter is the son of the future BYuT faction member from URP "Sobor" and also works at an IT firm – as general director.

STATE SECRETARY ZINCHENKO FAVORS SOCIAL DEMOCRATS

By the way. One can assume that the non-appointment to the Cabinet of PPPU members Kinakh and NAPU Lytvyn, in particular former members of the "Demplatform in NDP," is connected with the reluctance to increase in parliament the number of members of the bloc.... "For a United Ukraine!"

This sounds strange, but the deceased "Yeda" is still alive in the CEC computer. And if Yushchenko had appointed Serhiy Shevchuk to the Ministry of Health, then someone from the Kuchma-Lytvyn list of the 2002 model would have entered the Rada. True, there too not everyone is, so to speak, a genetic "yanuchary." After all, in this areopagus one can now see the "orange" Kinakh, Andriy Derkach, Onishchuk and others.

An interesting metamorphosis will also occur with the figurative rather than factual seat of the State Secretary of Ukraine and currently vice-speaker Oleksandr Zinchenko. Let me remind you that in the spring of 2002 he was elected to parliament from the SDPU(o) electoral list. His then value for the party of footballers and lawyers is evidenced by the third number. And this despite the fact that the first president Leonid Kravchuk then contented himself with only fifth place...

What was known afterwards – right up to the appearance of the leading Social Democrat in the position of head of Viktor Yushchenko's election campaign in the summer of 2004. The United Social Democrats repeatedly raised the issue of the discrepancy between his position and the portfolio agreement, according to which the place of deputy head of parliament should belong to SDPU(o). So now, finally, justice will be restored.

Instead of Our Ukraine member Zinchenko, the ranks of the Medvedchuk-Shufrych faction should be joined by 32-year-old Serhiy Zelinsky, non-partisan head of the youth public organization "Association of Young Scientists," ex-deputy head of the State Committee for Family and Youth Affairs, head of the executive committee of UNKMO – an umbrella association of youth organizations in support of SDPU(o) at state expense.

Those interested in researching Mr. Zelinsky's "financial arts" are advised to read the article by journalist Roksana Gedeon "Youth in the Law."

Vakhtang Kipiani, for UP