The passions have not subsided yet after the presidential elections, and the Ukrainian political elite has already begun to prepare for the next elections - to the Verkhovna Rada. Many of the current politicians started to look for political allies to form a new/old party. For example, political technologists have been creating the image of a "strong business executive" for the Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman for several months, and for the Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Oleksandr Turchynov an image of a fighter for traditional family values is being created. "Apostrophe" learned who Groysman and Turchynov are going to get to the Parliament with.
The political fate of the Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman over the past year has been quite difficult. He had a series of conflicts, including with the current President Petro Poroshenko. Therefore, since the summer of last year, the Prime Minister began to think in detail about his way to start an independent political voyage.
For the first time he declared it openly in the spring of last year, and at the end of summer there was information that Groysman was gathering the team for the future elections to Rada. In addition, as previously "Apostrophe" wrote, the Ministry of Justice has registered a new public organization - "Ukrainian strategy for success" (USS), which is directly related to the Prime Minister. The founders of the USS included the entourage of Groysman – Yevhen Zolotariov, Oleksandr Sayenko and Vadym Denysenko. And the office of the organization is located in the center of the capital – in Shovkovychna street, in the business center Horizon Office Tower.
In addition, Groysman has a party "Vinnytsia European strategy", created in 2015 for local elections. But this party does not have its own cells in the country, and it is easier to go to the Rada already with a promoted project, or to rename the long-existing political force. Given that Groysman is now a desirable partner for many politicians, he has a choice. But it's definitely black and white that he will go to the Parliament.
Groysman and those who wish
On April 22, during the television broadcast, Groysman directly stated that he sees himself in the next Parliament with a new political force.
"It is clear that it will be a political force that will unite people with a good reputation, people who can not only speak, but actually do things for the country. I do not want to be an extra in the next political season, I want to be active, to fight for ideas and introduce them," Groysman said.
And the Prime Minister began serious preparations for the autumn elections. According to the interlocutors of "Apostrophe", Groysman is being prepared by American spin doctors.
"For about a month in the office in Shovkovychna they have been working till night and creating an image of a strong economic manager for Groysman. He is advised to communicate more with the people, to change the image," the interlocutor of "Apostrophe" said.
But nobody is absolutely sure with whom Groysman will go to elections. At the beginning of the year a joint campaign of Groysman with Kyiv mayor Vitalii Klychko for the election was actively discussed. But this idea was rejected, since Klychko wants to revive "UDAR", and the party will go to elections independently, probably, with Volodymyr Klychko at the head of the list.
Also, Groysman was very much wanted in Petro Poroshenko's updated team which he will lead to elections with the reformatted political force "Solidarity". However, Groysman himself does not really want to continue cooperation with the ex-president. And his support of Petro Poroshenko as a presidential candidate at the party congress in the winter was more forced than desired step. At that time Groysman was forced into peace through the case against his closest ally, the former acting head of the Fiscal Service of Ukraine Myroslav Prodan.
"I want to be active, to fight for ideas and introduce them," Groysman said.
I do not want to be an extra in the next political season, I want to be active, to fight for ideas and to introduce them
Besides, Groysman had disagreements and with other prominent members of Poroshenko's team – the People's Deputy Ihor Kononenko and the Prosecutor General Yuriy Lutsenko. That is why it is hard to believe in alliance of Groysman with Poroshenko. Although Groysman came to the meeting of the faction "Petro Poroshenko Block", held on April 23. But according to our interlocutor, who was present at the meeting, "Groysman did everything to make us understand that he was no longer with us". And Petro Poroshenko was very puzzled by Groysman's statement about the campaign for the elections to Verkhovna Rada.
Political elite more willingly believes in a possible joint campaign for elections of Groysman and Arseniy Yatsenyuk's group. The rapprochement of Groysman and "Narodnyi front" can be observed for some time. For example, Groysman visited several congresses of "veterans". In addition, in the spring of last year, when rumors about the possible resignation were spread, after the government's report, the report was not submitted – and thanks largely to the individual "veterans", in particular, the head of the profile committee Andrii Ivanchuk, who is a close ally of Yatsenyuk.
“Narodnyi front" experiences hard times: people in the faction were divided into three groups – a group of the Minister of Internal Affairs Arsen Avakov, who began to drift towards Volodymyr Zelensky, a group of speaker Andrii Parubiy and the Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Oleksandr Turchynov, who rather support Petro Poroshenko, and the group of Arseniy Yatsenyuk, who wants to unite with Groysman. At the meeting of fraction held on April 22, Yatsenyuk (according toparticipants of the process) urged colleagues not to hurry anywhere.
Yatsenyuk suggested to wait during two or three months, to see that who the new Presidentmay be.
"Something like, now they will make a real mess of things, and here we are all clear. He just said that we would change the name and would be cleaned of particularly odious people," one of the "veterans" said to "Apostrophe".
And at the same time, according to our interlocutor, Yatsenyuk has long been trying to "sell" to Groysman the idea of association.
"The tells him that 80 people in the list – this is the key to the Premiership, and then he wants to divide the list 50/50, and have his 10% at the elections. The main thing for him is to protect his inner circle, like Petrenko (Minister of Justice Pavlo Petrenk,o - "Apostrophe"), and people like Hrynevych (Minister of Education on the quota of "NF", - "Apostrophe") will be taken care of another time. But Groysman himself is not sure that he needs it, though he nods to Yatsenyuk," said the source of “Apostrophe”.
Another MP said off the record to "Apostrophe" that there are people who are ready to invest money in a joint project of Groysman and Arseniy Yatsenyuk. This is the oligarch Rinat Akhmetov, with whom Yatsenyuk warm relations.
The press service of Groysman informed "Apostrophe" that it could not say anything more than the information that the Prime Minister himself announced on TV on April 22.
Two variants for Turchynov
No less interesting fate awaits for the Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Oleksandr Turchynov, who non-publicly fully supports Poroshenko. For Turchynov, according to the interlocutors of "Apostrophe", there are two options for the development of events.
No less interesting fate awaits for the Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Oleksandr Turchynov, who non-publicly fully supports Poroshenko
No less interesting fate awaits for the Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Oleksandr Turchynov, who non-publicly fully supports Poroshenko
The first option is the joint campaign for the elections with Poroshenko and Andrii Parubit with the new patriotic-nationalist party, which is offered by the technologist of Petro Poroshenko Ihor Hryni. Accoring to interlocutors, this option was inspired by the result of Poroshenko in Lviv region, where he took the first place.
The second option is to create own conservative party with the promotion of traditional Christian values. The first step towards this option was performed by Turchynov already – the social movement "All-Ukrainian Council" was created and headed by him.
According to interlocutors of "Apostrophes" in the environment of Turchynov, he is not sure that it is necessary to go to the elections with the party, although the meetings concerning "All-Ukrainian Council" still take place.
"At the moment we can say that Yatsenyuk is "streched" between several politics, he is trying not to quarrel with Petro Poroshenko, he was trying not to fight with Avakov at the last fraction meeting (that was held on April 24, – "Apostrophe"), although he fought hard with a group of Parubii, and he is trying to het along with Groysman. But in the end, he always takes the side of the strong one. Parubii and Turchynov are still with Petro, but we will definitely go our separate ways no later than by August," the interlocutor of Apostrophe summed up.
