President Publicly Woos Mayor

Leonid Kuchma recently said he took a "negative" view of the legal action initiated by former mayoral candidate Hryhory Surkis against Kyiv Mayor Oleksandr Omelchenko.

The President stressed he "had shown" his attitude to the Kyivans' choice "in fact the very next day by appointing Mr. Omelchenko head of the administration... One should have the courage to face defeat. If you've lost, shake hands and mind your own business," Mr. Kuchma said.

Simultaneously, he admitted he "was quietly negotiating with both sides in order to end a struggle nobody needs," Interfax-Ukraine reports.

Let us note up front that Mr. Kuchma, to put it mildly, is not a neutral figure in the Surkis/Omelchenko conflict. Many observers think that Mr. Surkis, one of the leaders of the pro-presidential SDPU(o), would not have taken part in the elections without a blessing from on high, a blessing involving both moral and organizational support. At the same time, during the election, the head of state took a typical stand: not to disclose in public his preference (he may also have broken other promises, but nothing is known for certain about it).

It is not known how seriously Mr. Surkis expected to win. What is evident is the debacle, which all predictions considered inevitable, provoked much vexation, resulting in the lawsuit against Mr. Omelchenko. Mr. Surkis's action after an election in which Mr. Omelchenko also won a moral victory could not possibly add to the authority of a President whose protОgО Mr. Surkis is in one way or another considered to be. This is one of the possible reasons for the chief executive's stab at peacemaking. The other reason perhaps lies in the President's wish to join the winning side. Mr. Omelchenko is much more independent now than before, and his attitude will play a major role in the outcome of the October presidential vote in Kyiv. Let us note the quite eloquent fact that the President was looking for whom to join. In any case, both Mr. Omelchenko and Mr. Surkis can feel themselves how reliable President's support is.

People's Deputy Hryhory Omelchenko, who withdrew his mayoral candidacy in favor of Oleksandr Omelchenko, commented on the President's desire to reconcile Mr. Surkis with Mr. Omelchenko by a song line: "Where have you been before? Who did you kiss?" Lawmaker Omelchenko reminded The Day's Tetiana SHULHACH that he had withdrawn his candidacy in favor of the current mayor in exchange for the latter's commitment to greet the coming vote under the slogan of removing Mr. Kuchma from office. According to the People's Deputy, the President's utterances are "hints to gain Mayor Omelchenko's sympathy."

Leonid Kravchuk, Mr. Surkis's campaign manager in the mayoral elections, in an interview with The Day, expressed indignation at Mr. Kuchma's interference in the case. "It is not the President but Surkis who went to court, so it is not the President who will solve this problem," Mr. Kravchuk said, adding that the President "has nothing to do with the third, judicial, branch of power." According to Mr. Kravchuk, only Mr. Surkis himself and the SDPU(o) can decide whether or not to withdraw the suit, and "the President will have no influence here." Mr. Kravchuk believes the President should not interfere. "This is not something for the President to discuss in public," Mr. Kravchuk added.