On Monday evening, President Viktor Yushchenko formed a new government. Previously, he had demanded that it be a "team of pragmatists" that would not be on television screens from morning till night and would forget that a minister is actually a political figure. In principle, the goal has been achieved.
Informed government representatives told "Ukrainska Pravda" about the presidential decrees signed on Monday evening. The composition of the Cabinet is to be officially announced on Tuesday. Among the new government officials, some have already worked under Kuchma, and some are old members of Yushchenko's team. An expected surprise was the dismissal of the president's crony David Zhvania.
So, according to sources, Yuriy Yekhanurov's government will look like this:
The new first vice-premier is Stanislav Stashevsky. Until now, he headed the Verkhovna Rada committee on foreign affairs. He got this position due to a strange alignment of political cards in 2002. A non-factional deputy, he was elected to the current parliament in a district in central Kyiv.
In Viktor Yushchenko's government, he worked for a month and a half as minister of fuel and energy, then in the same position for several more months in Anatoliy Kinakh's government. Before all that, he was deputy to Kyiv mayor Oleksandr Omelchenko.
The new vice-premier for humanitarian affairs is Vyacheslav Kyrylenko. 37 years old, he was previously minister of social policy, a member of Yuriy Kostenko's Ukrainian People's Party.
He graduated from the philosophy faculty of Shevchenko Kyiv University, candidate of philosophical sciences. In Tymoshenko's government, he did not participate in scandals, did not engage in politics, and during Cabinet meetings did not even go out to the toilet to smoke, because he does not have this pernicious habit.
Vice-premier for regional policy is Roman Bezsmertny. Previously, he was the curator of administrative-territorial reform, head of the political council of the party "People's Union Our Ukraine."
Minister of Finance is Viktor Pynzenyk. He remained in his position, which puts under threat his positions as leader of the party "Reforms and Order," which is in a bloc with Yulia Tymoshenko.
The new minister of economy is Arseniy Yatsenyuk. The youngest face in the government, he is 31 years old. At the time of his appointment, Yatsenyuk was first deputy governor of Odesa Oblast. From January 2003, he was first deputy head of the NBU; during Serhiy Tihipko's leadership in Yanukovych's election campaign, he performed his duties at the National Bank.
He was minister of economy of the Crimean government and deputy chairman of the board of "Aval" bank. A graduate of Chernivtsi State University in the specialty "law" and of the Chernivtsi Trade and Economic Institute of Kyiv National Trade and Economic University, specialty – "accounting and audit." Candidate of economic sciences.
The new minister for emergency situations is Viktor Baloha. He held the position of governor of Zakarpattia Oblast – now under Yushchenko and in 1999-2001 under Kuchma. A member of the party "People's Union Our Ukraine"; before its creation, he was in "Reforms and Order."
Baloha's arrival means the dismissal of David Zhvania, once one of Yushchenko's closest associates. Zhvania became a victim of the principle of separating power from business, convincing evidence of which he could not provide by his own example.
In addition, Zhvania is a figure in a mass of scandals – the poisoning of Yushchenko, the disappearance of Rybkin, Boris Berezovsky's financing of Yushchenko's campaign, the forceful change of management at the "Kyiv" factory, the story with the president's son's BMW M6.
The new minister of construction and architecture is Pavlo Kachur. A deputy from "Our Ukraine." Another new person headed the newly created ministry. He was an adviser to Prime Minister Yushchenko, deputy executive director of the Association of Ukrainian Cities, and vice-president of the Association of Regional Development Agencies.
He was elected to parliament in a district in Lviv Oblast. At that time, he was a member of the People's Rukh, but after the creation of the party "People's Union Our Ukraine," he joined its ranks.
The new minister of labor and social policy is Ivan Sakhan. He has already worked in this position in the governments of Pustovoitenko, Yushchenko, and Kinakh.
His further fate is unknown. However, there are many mentions on the internet of a person with the same first name, last name, and patronymic who became general director of the company "Ukrainian Aluminium" and chairman of the supervisory board of the Mykolaiv Alumina Plant. These enterprises are the property of Russian billionaire Oleg Deripaska.
Minister of fuel and energy is Ivan Plachkov. He remained in his position. "People's Union Our Ukraine."
Minister of industrial policy is Volodymyr Shandra. He remained in his position. "People's Union Our Ukraine."
Minister of youth and sports is Yuriy Pavlenko. He remained in his position. "People's Union Our Ukraine."
Minister of ecology is Pavlo Ihnatenko. He remained in his position. "People's Union Our Ukraine."
Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council is Anatoliy Kinakh. In Tymoshenko's government, he was first vice-premier and the eyes of Petro Poroshenko. Leader of the Party of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs.
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As previously reported, the socialists will retain their positions in the new government. Therefore, one can predict that:
Minister of internal affairs is Yuriy Lutsenko.
Minister of agrarian policy is Oleksandr Baranivsky.
Minister of education is Stanislav Nikolayenko.
As for other ministries, according to the source, the decrees have not yet been signed or information about them is absent. Therefore, the positions of minister of foreign affairs (it is obvious that the seat will be retained by Borys Tarasyuk), minister of coal industry (most likely, Viktor Topolov will remain), minister of health care (there is a likelihood that Mykola Polishchuk will lose his position), and minister of justice (Roman Zvarych has good chances of holding on to his place) are currently vacant.
There is no data on who will head the Ministry of Culture and Tourism (Oksana Bilozir will not be in the new government, however she is unlikely to be dismissed now because she is on sick leave). It is not entirely clear who will be minister of defense (Anatoliy Hrytsenko may remain in this position, although the president has claims against him regarding the department's commercial activity). Also unknown is the fate of another vice-premier (most likely, he will deal with rural affairs and this place will be taken by Leonid Kozachenko, Yushchenko's adviser and Kinakh's protégé).
And a real war is ongoing over the Ministry of Transport and Communications of Ukraine. Yevhen Chervonenko's chances look very unconvincing.
