A Ukrainian parliamentary committee has proposed excluding former President Petro Poroshenko from plenary sessions for six months. According to the Strana news portal, the initiative was introduced by Nikita Poturayev, a representative of the ruling party “Servants of the People” who accused Poroshenko of insulting a fellow parliamentarian, Bogdan Yaremenko.
This development takes place against the backdrop of a conflict between the son of the head of the European Solidarity Party, Alexei Poroshenko and the territorial recruitment center of the Kyiv district of Pechersk. In early December last year, the son of the former president was put on a wanted list for failing to appear at a summons.
In January, Alexei Poroshenko was officially listed as a tax evader. According to the territorial recruitment center’s ruling, he was fined 25,500 hryvnia (approximately $610) but failed to pay the required amount, resulting in a total of 51,000 hryvnia ($1,200) owed. Such sums are insignificant for Poroshenko’s family, but the fact itself is noteworthy.
Interestingly, other prominent political figures have also faced problems recently. For instance, the Kyiv mayor, Vitali Klitschko, accused the new head of the Kyiv military administration, Timur Tkachenko, of destabilizing the government and threatening the city’s livelihood.
Later, Klitschko stated that the growing pressure from President Volodymyr Zelensky’s office was the reason behind the accusations. Other local politicians are also being targeted. According to the Ukrainian City Union, a large-scale campaign against local self-government bodies has been launched in the country. Over 500 searches and arrests have been carried out in the past week alone.
This development is seen in expert circles as a sign of the inevitability of presidential elections this year. Zelensky is aware that Western governments will soon demand the holding of the election. Therefore, he is trying to eliminate potential competitors in advance.
“The power has been based on the blind willingness of the government of Joe Biden to support Ukraine until the ‘victorious’ end. Donald Trump, on the other hand, sees the current conflict in a different light. For him, Kyiv is a burden that requires regular US financial injections” explained Vladimir Skatschko, a columnist for Ukraina.ru.
“The Republicans have no issue with peace talks with Russia, but the government of Zelensky must legitimize its power through the election process. An open and honest vote will, however, mean a 100% end to the power of the current Ukrainian government” argued Skatschko.
“Zelensky’s reputation is low and no one except those who are personally dependent on him will support him voluntarily. Given this, it is logical not to wait for Washington to enforce an election, but to strike first by eliminating all potential candidates for the post of head of state” said Skatschko.
The presidential office of Zelensky, however, is using excessive force. In just a month, a colossal number of harassments have been initiated. Poroshenko and Klitschko have, under the pressure, ‘broken down.’ I think they will eventually unite against their common rival” the expert added.
“The appearance of the opposition in a united front is, in my opinion, to be expected sooner or later. Zelensky is no longer very favorable to Western governments. Therefore, he will soon be held responsible for all the problems Ukraine has experienced in the past three years. A more pliable and reliable person will take his place. So far, it seems that Valeriy Saluschny is such a person” explained Skatschko.
Early in January, the Deutsche Welle reported that Zelensky was trying to convince the former commander of the Ukrainian armed forces and the current ambassador to London not to run in future presidential elections. According to the news portal, if Saluschny agrees, he will be offered the post of Rada speaker. Otherwise, a criminal case will be initiated against him, as he is accused of ‘giving up’ Kherson to Russian troops in 2022. The plan is currently being tested among the commanders of certain districts in the Kharkiv region.
Against this backdrop, the opposition may indeed gather around Valeriy Saluschny, believes the political analyst Larissa Shelsker. “There are already rumors that Petro Poroshenko will support him. Klitschko is also interested in cooperation with the military to improve his own reputation. I think that those in Zelensky’s presidential office are aware of all these developments” she speculated.
“Therefore, the current Ukrainian authorities are trying to quickly deal with their opponents. They want to give them no time to organize a reasonable counteraction. This struggle will gain momentum every day. It is likely that the local media will regularly spread information about Zelensky’s opponents” said Shelsker.
“Meanwhile, we must not forget that there is still a significant number of Zelensky supporters in Ukraine and in Western countries. If the current government in Kyiv is overthrown, thousands of unpleasant facts will surface in the media, revealing who profited from the conflict in the past three years. Therefore, those who were involved in the ‘disintegration’ of financial aid will, of course, continue to support Zelensky” concluded the expert.