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BYuT Confirmed Most Conscientious Force in Parliament
24 September 2009
Published in
Inform
issue #125
See the full issue here.
A two part exhaustive study of parliamentary political forces, and to what extent they fulfilled their election pledges in the first eight months of 2009, was published in Ukrayinska Pravda (11 and 14 September). The author was Ms Lesia Shevchenko, the President of the Kyiv-based Open Society Foundation.
Accountability of politicians is a central component of a consolidated democracy and an area that needs attention in Ukraine. Sadly, low trust in state institutions and politicians is a reflection of politicians who are deemed unaccountable to their electorate. But this disinterest in voters is not the case for all of the political forces represented in parliament. The analysis concluded that, of parliament’s five factions, the Bloc of Yulia Tymoshenko (BYuT) is the most conscientious in fulfilling its pledges made to voters in the September 2007 pre-term parliamentary elections.
See the full issue here.
A two part exhaustive study of parliamentary political forces, and to what extent they fulfilled their election pledges in the first eight months of 2009, was published in Ukrayinska Pravda (11 and 14 September). The author was Ms Lesia Shevchenko, the President of the Kyiv-based Open Society Foundation.
Accountability of politicians is a central component of a consolidated democracy and an area that needs attention in Ukraine. Sadly, low trust in state institutions and politicians is a reflection of politicians who are deemed unaccountable to their electorate. But this disinterest in voters is not the case for all of the political forces represented in parliament. The analysis concluded that, of parliament’s five factions, the Bloc of Yulia Tymoshenko (BYuT) is the most conscientious in fulfilling its pledges made to voters in the September 2007 pre-term parliamentary elections.
BYuT deputies were the most productive and active
inside parliament, drafting 314 pieces of
legislation, more than any other faction. Of these,
14 were signed into law, a low figure because of
the president’s persistent interference but
nevertheless, the analysis pointed out, still
higher than any other faction. “BYuT sought to
approach fulfilling to the maximum its programmatic
aims,” Ukrayinska Pravda (11 September) concluded.
BYuT draft legislation included many items dealing with the criminal code, fighting corruption and supporting small- and medium-sized business. Other areas included local self-government and launching a television station along the lines of the BBC.
Our Ukraine-People’s Self-Defence (OU-PSD), the third largest faction, also achieved a relatively good record in seeking to fulfil its election programme. OU-PSD drafted legislation in the fields of politics, rule of law, economic and social spheres. Of note was OU-PSD’s intensive work on the rule of law and tackling corruption issues, including efforts to establish a National Bureau to battle corruption modelled on the US Department of Justice’s Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
The Party of Regions, the most populist in its programme and most oligarchic in its composition, had a very poor record in fulfilling its electoral pledges, the analysis found. During 2009, the Party of Regions “has de facto been unable to really fulfil its programmatic principles,” the analysis revealed (Ukrayinska Pravda, 11 September). This is not surprising given that the Party of Regions has devoted greater time to blocking the functioning of parliament than to implementing its election programme.
Although the Party of Regions boasts parliament’s largest faction (with 173 deputies), its draft legislative attempts only reflected ten percent of its election campaign pledges and party programme.
The Communist Party of Ukraine (CPU) and Volodymyr Lytvyn bloc, parliament’s two smallest factions, were the least productive. The CPU drafted the lowest number of pieces of legislation and was successful in only having two adopted. The Lytvyn bloc was successful in only having three pieces of legislation it drafted adopted by parliament.
BYuT most conscientious towards voters
The two-part analysis concluded that in 2009, BYuT was the most conscientious towards its voters in fulfilling its election pledges. Also, BYuT was the most successful in ensuring parliament adopted its draft legislation (14 laws) with the Party of Regions trailing behind with only 8 laws adopted.
BYuT and its coalition partner, OU-PSD, drafted 314 and 188 pieces of legislation respectively, representing a combined total of 502 pieces of draft legislation. If the Lytvyn bloc – which joined the revived democratic parliamentary majority in December 2008 – draft legislation is added to this total, the pro-Tymoshenko ruling coalition would have prepared 566 drafts, or nearly double that of the combined opposition. The Party of Regions prepared 253 draft legislative acts and the CPU another 63, or a combined opposition figure of 316.
Ms Lesia Shevchenko, concluded that the best of all (the factions) that worked towards fulfilling their programmes were the pro-coalition factions in the (parliamentary) majority – BYuT and OU-PSD. Their success could have been greater if the president and opposition Party of Regions had not followed a policy of “the worse the better” for Ukraine, seeking to undermine rather than assist the Tymoshenko government’s policies to extricate Ukraine from the global crisis.
BYuT draft legislation included many items dealing with the criminal code, fighting corruption and supporting small- and medium-sized business. Other areas included local self-government and launching a television station along the lines of the BBC.
Our Ukraine-People’s Self-Defence (OU-PSD), the third largest faction, also achieved a relatively good record in seeking to fulfil its election programme. OU-PSD drafted legislation in the fields of politics, rule of law, economic and social spheres. Of note was OU-PSD’s intensive work on the rule of law and tackling corruption issues, including efforts to establish a National Bureau to battle corruption modelled on the US Department of Justice’s Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
The Party of Regions, the most populist in its programme and most oligarchic in its composition, had a very poor record in fulfilling its electoral pledges, the analysis found. During 2009, the Party of Regions “has de facto been unable to really fulfil its programmatic principles,” the analysis revealed (Ukrayinska Pravda, 11 September). This is not surprising given that the Party of Regions has devoted greater time to blocking the functioning of parliament than to implementing its election programme.
Although the Party of Regions boasts parliament’s largest faction (with 173 deputies), its draft legislative attempts only reflected ten percent of its election campaign pledges and party programme.
The Communist Party of Ukraine (CPU) and Volodymyr Lytvyn bloc, parliament’s two smallest factions, were the least productive. The CPU drafted the lowest number of pieces of legislation and was successful in only having two adopted. The Lytvyn bloc was successful in only having three pieces of legislation it drafted adopted by parliament.
BYuT most conscientious towards voters
The two-part analysis concluded that in 2009, BYuT was the most conscientious towards its voters in fulfilling its election pledges. Also, BYuT was the most successful in ensuring parliament adopted its draft legislation (14 laws) with the Party of Regions trailing behind with only 8 laws adopted.
BYuT and its coalition partner, OU-PSD, drafted 314 and 188 pieces of legislation respectively, representing a combined total of 502 pieces of draft legislation. If the Lytvyn bloc – which joined the revived democratic parliamentary majority in December 2008 – draft legislation is added to this total, the pro-Tymoshenko ruling coalition would have prepared 566 drafts, or nearly double that of the combined opposition. The Party of Regions prepared 253 draft legislative acts and the CPU another 63, or a combined opposition figure of 316.
Ms Lesia Shevchenko, concluded that the best of all (the factions) that worked towards fulfilling their programmes were the pro-coalition factions in the (parliamentary) majority – BYuT and OU-PSD. Their success could have been greater if the president and opposition Party of Regions had not followed a policy of “the worse the better” for Ukraine, seeking to undermine rather than assist the Tymoshenko government’s policies to extricate Ukraine from the global crisis.