The greatest political blunders of this century
In addition they have clearly demonstrated to the world at large that they are not going to take any notice of internationally recognised legal due process or the rule of law and that has now set the tone not only for this Presidency but also for the nation as a whole.
The problem is that his administration would appear to neither care nor even notice as they continue to feed the President bad advice and irresponsible decision making.
The crazy part about the whole venture is that it was simply not necessary. He won the election, he was ahead in all the polls and Tymoshenko as leader of the opposition was floundering like a beached whale.
All they needed to do was to maintain a level head and she would have destroyed herself without the President having to lift a finger. Now she is Europe’s most famous political prisoner, an accolade she hardly warrants.
It was only natural that the President might want to exact some sort of revenge after his humiliation after the Orange revolution but wiser heads should have prevailed. Somebody should have whispered in his ear that the only person who suffers as a result of such malice is the bearer. Instead they have consigned him to one of the darker periods of Ukrainian history.
Comments
I fully agree with this assessment.
It is hard to see any justification for the administration to follow through with what started out as Yushchenko seeking revenge. In needs to be stated that the charges laid against Tymoshenko were initiated by Viktor Yuschenko in 2009.
The Constitutional amendments agreed to as part of the achievements of the Orange revolution was the main achievement and step forward to becoming a democratic state.
Yanukovych's removal of the amendments was a major step backwards. One that singled the events to come. The review by the Venice commission on the Constitutional Courts ruling is worthy of reading. It highlights the extent of corruption in the judicial process and the flaws in the Counts decision.
hat was of disappointment is the oppositions failure to highlight this situation and in questioning the acts of the Court their failure to seek to reinstate the Constitutional amendments and the removal of Presidential Authority. Yanukovych was elected on the understanding and expectation that he would have limited power and authority. The decision of the Court to revoke the 2004 amendments usurped authority over the Constitutional itself.
As highlighted by the Venice Commission the Court should have sought the region of the Constitution the Parliament itself and not unilaterally amend it on its own volition.
This was a major shift in democratic values and direction
The other change and decline in democracy between 2006 and 2011 was Yushchenko's unconstitutional and illegal dismissal of Ukraine's previous Parliament. Yushchenko going so far as to interfere with the independence and operation of Ukraine's Constitutional Court in order to prevent the Court from ruling against his decree. His actions caused seven months of political and civil unrest. The events of 2007 are still being played out today and to a large extent they are responsible for the ongoing decline in Ukraine's democratic development.