A press release from the "Coalition of Truth" regarding the recent elections of the head of the student trade union committee of VSU has been received at the address of "Lutsk Investment". It is a kind of response to the statement of the "National Alliance" and its role in the election of the head of the student trade union. Therefore, we present it unchanged with the corresponding highlights in the text.

Back on February 22 of this year, in Lutsk, 7 youth organizations of the region united into the Coordination Council of Youth Public Organizations "Coalition of Truth". The Coalition included the Youth Nationalist Congress, Ukrainian People's Youth, the Association of Young Reformers, the Foundation for Regional Initiatives, the ecological-tourist association "Druids", the Student Brotherhood of Lutsk, and the Political Science Club. Despite all the journalists' surprise, the "National Alliance" did not join the Coalition – somehow it doesn't quite fit the "TRUTH" format. This was once again confirmed yesterday, April 12, by representatives of the above-mentioned organizations.

The venue – Lesya Ukrainka Volyn State University, the Reporting and Election Conference of the VSU Student Trade Union.

For Volyn University, the choice of the Head of the student trade union became a "painful issue" for exactly 26 days. The conference, which took place on April 12, was supposed to be held back on March 22 of this year, but the violations that were discovered by public organizations regarding the organization and conduct of the conference did not allow the trade union committee with 17 years of experience, O.A. Fed, yet again, to do everything "according to his own script". And the violations were as follows: none of the 6000 thousand students who were members of the trade union wrote an application to join its ranks, however, the university accounting department monthly deducted 1% from scholarships, which went to the budget of the trade union organization; the control and audit commission was elected on March 18 and operated for only 26 days; the conditions for delegating members of faculty trade unions to the university-wide meeting were not observed; "rank-and-file" trade union members were not informed about the organization's activities, and most heads of faculty trade unions were not familiar with the Statute.

And yet, by April 12, the trade union meetings of the faculties took place according to a clear format, at which all those who had written an application to join were present; for the first time in all 17 years, Mr. Fed handed out trade union membership cards to them!

The conference began at 15:00. The main question that interested those present was "Who will become the head of the Trade Union"? Before the start of the conference, there were three candidates: Fed O.A. – the current trade union committee head, Kalishchuk Roman – a 5th-year student, Shelep Mykhailo – a 5th-year political science student, one of the leaders of the organizations that joined the "Coalition of Truth". The Coalition nominated Mykhailo's candidacy half an hour before the start of the Conference, since the other candidate, who was receiving informational support, refused two hours before the elections and recommended Shelep M.

After the report of the current Head of the trade union, Mr. Fed, was heard, heated discussions began in the hall, but considering that there were two camps in the hall – one of which supported the current head, the other was outraged by his activities in this position – the majority assessed his activities as "satisfactory". The Head of Trade Unions of Ukraine in the Volyn region, Karpomyz I.I., announced the decision of the regional trade union leadership to recommend that O.A. Fed not run yet again for the position of head of the student trade union. According to Karpomyz I.I., this time it should be headed by a young active person who knows the problems of students and enjoys authority in this environment.

The discussions and speeches dragged on, it began to get dark, but the trade union committee members did not disperse; everyone understood the responsibility of the moment. For the first time in 17 years, students won the right to elect their leadership democratically.

The last question, of course, was the election of the Head of the trade union. Two candidates and two camps. Kalishchuk Roman represented the interests of the trade union committees that worked in Fed's team and were outraged by the interference of public organizations in the trade union's activities, however, gratitude "for the lesson" was still expressed. His support group "tarred with the same brush" the "Coalition of Truth", which, in essence, helped them in the information sphere, and the "National Alliance", which organized actions like "What is Fedism?" and did this, most of all, for the PR of the newly formed organization. The activity of one organization cast a shadow on all those who, although they did not support Fed O.I. and spoke about it to everyone, were already working for the future trade union committee with a new head.

Mykhailo Shelep was known to most of those present; his chances of winning the elections grew with every word of his Program. But after the hall erupted in applause and Mykhailo left the stage, Ihor Huz appeared there, a deputy of the Lutsk City Council, who was supported in the hall by only 19 out of 131 present (exactly that number voted for him to be in the presidium of the Conference; even the request of the VSU Rector did not influence the decision of the outraged public). The deputy began to express support for Shelep M., and the eyes of those present began to dim. Mykhailo asked for the floor and informed everyone that he was not running as a representative of any of the organizations; here and now he is a VSU student.

The voting was secret; the ballots contained only two surnames: Kalishchuk and Shelep. The voting took place. 106 delegates cast their votes as follows: Kalishchuk – 52 votes, Shelep – 53, 1 vote – abstained. But the Conference could not approve Shelep M. as Head, because according to the Statute there must be 50% plus one vote. It was decided to vote again. The second vote showed the final leader of the race: out of 101, Shelep M. – 51 votes, Kalishchuk R. – 50 votes.

During the break between votes, a conversation took place between Shelep M. and Huz I., in which Mykhailo asked Huz I. not to express his support for him, so that voters would not associate Shelep with the "National Alliance" and its activities.

After that, according to the other candidate Kalishchuk Roman, Mr. Huz approached him and offered his 10 votes, which had previously voted for Shelep Mykhailo. Kalishchuk Roman approached the representatives of the "Coalition of Truth" and reported this fact, because "we agreed to play fair".

Judge for yourselves. Of course, not everyone will learn about I. Huz's actions. They, in his own words, will consider him a champion of truth in the VSU Student Trade Union.

And also, a quote from the press release of the "National Alliance", which was sent by e-mail on the night of 12.04.05 – "The Volyn organization 'National Alliance' did not nominate its candidate, because it aimed to hold clean and transparent elections".

That is, if they had nominated their candidate, the elections would not have been clean and transparent at all!?

According to information from the "Coalition of Truth"

Read also:

Mykhailo Shelep – head of the VSU student trade union committee