- The President wants to hear a response from the coalition if it agrees to the simultaneous early parliamentary and presidential elections. What will be your reply?
- I would tell the President that it is most perfect time for him to leave because the further intrigues will not do him any good. If I were Viktor Yushchenko, I would quietly agree with the date of the election and try to escape easily, leaving less bad actions behind. It is absurd from his side to make any conditions concerning elections.
Recently, the President talked about reforms. Six months before the elections all politicians start talking about reforms, but none of them implemented those reforms. Our problem is that Viktor Yushchenko has never worked in any structures. He has not passed through a single power chain: either through the city or district council, or the mayor, or the governor. That is why he is hardly aware of the situation. Today, by the way, Yulia Tymoshenko is also in not easy situation because she did not pass this school and she knows many of the state problems only in theory. It would be easier if the Government would not have been formed on the basis of party lists, but on professional grounds. But this is not so today.
I think Viktor Yushchenko needs to accept everything as it is. He should leave slowly.
- How would you describe the new draft Constitution submitted by the President? Does Ukraine need now two-chamber parliament?
- I think this is the correct position. I am convinced that it is necessary to change the Constitution and the principles of elections, to return to open lists, and the parliament should consist of two chambers. But there must be reasonable people, not the cosmonauts. Nothing new should be invented. Everything in the world have already thought of, in Europe, including. We are trying to reinvent the Ukrainian bicycle. We have pathologic and endless constitutional process.
Personally I am against the presidential republic. I think that we should have a parliamentary one. Presidential Secretariat should be eliminated as unnecessary, which takes half a billion hryvnyas per year. Moreover the Secretariat impedes the work of everyone. Either let the President heads the government and manages it (but then the question arises why do we need the President, if there is a PM). Or let he or she will be «English queen».
