Ukraine under Kuchma: Political Reform, Economic Transformation and Security Policy in Independent

300 Pages·1997·37.76 MB·English

by  Taras Kuzio (auth.)

UKRAINE UNDER KUCHMA
STUDIES IN RUSSIAN AND EAST EUROPEAN
HISTORY AND SOCIETY
General Editors: R.W. Davies, Emeritus Professor of Soviet Economic
Studies, and E.A. Rees, Senior Lecturer in Soviet History, both at the
Centre for Russian and East European Studies, The University of
Birmingham
Ukraine under Kuchma
Political Reform, Economic Transformation
and Security Policy in Independent Ukraine
Taras Kuzio
Research Fellow
Centre for Russian and East European Studies
The University of Birmingham
in association with the
Palgrave Macmillan
© Taras Kuzio 1997
Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1s t edition 1997
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Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
First published 1997 by
MACMILLAN PRESS LTD
Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire R021 6XS
and London
Companies and representatives
throughout the world
ISBN 978-1-349-25746-1 ISBN 978-1-349-25744-7 (eBook)
DOI 10.1007/978-1-349-25744-7
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Published in the United States of America by
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ISBN 978-0-312-17625-9
Contents
List of Tables ix
List of Maps XI
Acknowledgements xiii
Transliteration Note Xv
Introduction
A New Ukrainian Parliament 6
On the Eve of Elections 6
Independent Ukraine under Kravchuk 6
The Multi-Party System 8
The Election Campaign II
Parliamentary Election Law 1I
Criticism of the Election Law 13
New Election Law 15
Electoral Blocs 16
Regional Divisions 22
The Aftermath 25
Issues 25
The Elections 26
By-elections 28
Violations 31
Conclusions 35
2 Issues and Voters in the 1994 Presidential Elections 39
Myths and Legends of the 1994 Presidential Elections 40
Issues 43
Statehood 43
Political Reform 45
The Economic Crisis and Reform 47
Organised Crime and Corruption 49
National Symbols and Language 50
Foreign and Defence Policy 51
Voters 55
Political Parties 55
Civic and Social Groups 59
v
vi Contents
Religion 59
The Armed Forces and Civil-Military Relations 60
Industrialists 61
Conclusion 64
3 The Crimea Returns to Ukraine 67
Elections in the Crimea 68
Presidential Elections 68
Ukrainian Reactions to the Presidential Elections 73
President Meshkov 74
Parliamentary Elections 77
Opinion Polls 79
Decline of the Russian Bloc 79
New Constitution 81
The 'Separatist' Constitution 81
The New Crimean Constitution 82
Ukrainian Reactions 83
An Honourable Solution is Found 85
Ukrainian Elections 86
Parliamentary Elections 86
Presidential Elections 87
Conclusions 89
4 Political Reform and an End to the Soviet System 90
Compromise and the Search for New Allies 91
Victory by a Small Margin 91
From Romanticism to Pragmatism 91
Compromises 93
A New Administration 95
Political Reform 99
Executive Power 99
The Threat of a Referendum 103
The Constitutional Agreement 105
Conflicting Interpretations 107
A New Constitution 110
The Soviet Ukrainian Constitution 110
The Kravchuk Constitutions III
The Kuchma Constitution 116
Comparisons of Draft Constitutions 126
How Should the Constitution be Adopted? 131
Conclusions 134
Contents vii
5 Economic Transfonnation and Structural Change 137
Economic and Social Refonn 138
A New Programme 138
Reform Speeded Up 139
The Rise of Yevhen Marchuk 142
Correction of Economic Reform 144
Fiscal and Monetary Reform 149
The Black Economy 152
Privatisation 153
Preconditions and Contradictions 153
The Pace of Privatisation 155
Parliament Suspends Privatisation 157
Privatisation Takes Off 159
Privatisation Fails to Meet Expectations 163
Land Privatisation 164
Western Assistance 168
Conclusions 173
6 New Foreign and Defence Policies 179
Foreign Policy 179
Priorities and Security Fears 179
New Foreign Policy Agenda 183
Ukraine and the Expansion of NATO 188
Ukrainian-Russian Relations: Diverging Interests 197
The Chechnya Crisis and Ukraine 203
Ukraine and the Russian Elections 206
Ukrainian-Russian Economic Relations 210
Military Policy 213
The Security Forces 213
The Black Sea Fleet 214
Ukrainian-Russian Military Co-operation 218
Nuclear Weapons 219
Conclusions 222
7 Conclusions 227
Notes 230
Bibliography of Selected Publications 267
Index 276
List of Tables
1.1 Pre~election Poll of Public Confidence 7
1.2 Pre-election Poll of Voter Disillusionment 7
1.3 Election Blocs 16
1.4 Democratic Coalition 'Ukraine' Election Bloc 17
1.5 The Evolution of Election Blocs 19
1.6 Regional Election Blocs 23
1.7 Pre-Election Poll of Voter Confidence 25
1.8 Negative Views within Ukrainian Society 25
1.9 Candidates Registered According to Party Affiliation 29
1.10 Political Profile of Candidates in the 7 April 1996
Repeat Elections 31
1.11 Members of Political Parties in the Ukrainian Parliament
(as of 1 December 1994) 33
1.12 The Ukrainian Parliament According to Membership of
Factions 36
1.13 Division of Parliament According to Political Orientation
and Affiliation to Political Parties 37
3.1 Round 1 of the Presidential Elections in the Crimea
(16 January 1994) 72
3.2 Round 2 of the Presidential Elections in the Crimea
(30 January 1994) 72
3.3 Election Opinion Poll 79
3.4 Poll of Public Confidence in Crimean Institutions 80
3.5 Crimean Votes for Ukrainian Presidential Candidates
(Round 1) 88
3.6 Crimean Votes for Ukrainian Presidential Candidates
(Round 2) 88
4.1 Voting by Parliamentary Faction for the Constitutional
Agreement 106
4.2 Opposition to the Constitutional Agreement by
Parliamentary Faction 106
4.3 Vote by Faction for the Constitution (28 June 1996) 126
4.4 The Cabinet of Ministers According to the Draft
Constitutions 129
4.5 Attitude of Political Groups to the Constitutional
Process 133
ix
x List a/Tables
4.6 Members of Parliament Who Refused to Take the
Ukrainian Oath of Loyalty (as Demanded by the
Ukrainian Constitution) 135
5.1 Pri vatisation in Ukraine (as of 1994) 156
5.2 Land Auctions (1994) 166
5.3 Land Privatisation (1992-5) 166
5.4 Pri vatisation of the Agro-Industrial Sector 166
5.5 Pri vatisation in Ukraine (1992-4) 175
5.6 Presidential Programme of Privatisation of Medium
to Large Enterprises (1995) 176
5.7 Presidential Programme of Privatisation of Small
Units (1995) 177
5.8 Privatisation of Land (1995) 178
6.1 Opinion Poll of Ukrainian Attitudes to the CIS 191
6.2 Evolution of Russian Security Policy to Ukraine and
the CIS 202
6.3 Attitude of Russian Political Groups to the CIS 223
6.4 Russian Foreign and Defence Policies and Ukrainian
Objections 225