Can Poroshenko Control Ukraine’s Right Wing?
The Ukrainian leader’s newest opponents are in his own parliament.
By John Hudson, Reid Standish
October 14, 2015
With a shaky cease-fire between Ukrainian forces and Russian-backed rebels appearing to hold, one of Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko’s biggest challenges may come from nationalist parties within his own government, and not from his erstwhile opponents in Moscow.
In the coming months, Ukraine’s parliament is expected to vote on legislation to transfer power away from Kiev — a key component of the Minsk II cease-fire agreement brokered by Germany, France, Ukraine, and Russia in February. Under the terms of the accord, Kiev is required to grant more autonomy to eastern Ukraine, many of whose residents seek closer ties to Moscow, while Russia is required to withdraw its military hardware and volunteer fighters.
The problem is that Poroshenko currently does not have the votes to amend the Ukrainian Constitution due to opposition from nationalist groups like the Radical Party, Right Sector, and now even political parties beyond the radical fringe, which fear that the legislation will undermine the country’s sovereignty and independence.
When parliament voted on autonomy, for instance, Radical Party leader Oleh Lyashko said the amendment was a part of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s plan “aimed at the destruction of Ukraine,” shortly before he left Poroshenko’s coalition.
The impasse threatens to erode the Minsk peace deal and reignite violence between the warring sides. And that impasse may not be disappearing anytime soon. In an interview, Ukraine’s new ambassador to the United States said the only way to break the deadlock would be for Russia to withdraw militarily from the conflict — a step that many doubt Putin will take.
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http://foreignpolicy.com/2015/10/14/can-poroshenko-control-ukraines-right-wing/
