Arseniy Yatsenyuk urges to act as one democratic team during elections to local authorities

"My proposal to the President and the Petro Poroshenko bloc, as Prime Minister and the People’s Front, is being two largest factions in the Parliament we should define a single system and approach regarding participation in the electoral campaign to local authorities", said Prime Minister of Ukraine Arseniy Yatsenyuk at a Government meeting on Thursday, June 4.

The Prime Minister suggested that all political forces, including other coalition members should start consultations "to determine how we go to the elections, who we are to put forward".

He stressed that there could occur “autumn aggravation": "It always happens, especially when in autumn there are due elections to local authorities. To prevent this aggravation negatively affected the country, it is crucial for all the political forces within the coalition to decide now on the format of the local elections campaign".

"Under other circumstances - it will be a war of all against all", he said.

"My proposal to the President and the Petro Poroshenko bloc, as Prime Minister and the People’s Front, is as two largest factions in the Parliament we should define a single system and approach regarding participation in the electoral campaign in local authorities", stressed Arseniy Yatsenyuk.

He accentuated on the need to immediately approve a new law on an open electoral register. According to him, on the one hand, this will ensure the transparency and democracy of the elections: "On the other hand – this will provide an opportunity to work for the Parliament, the Government and the country to prevent engaging into this terrible populism and the war of the democratic camp with themselves".

He highlighted during the election campaign it is vital to act as one democratic team, “to get the support of people, and then to fulfil our obligations to the people on the local level".  

"We should realize that elections to local authorities are directly linked with the decentralization process. The newly elected local government should gain new powers," he said.

Arseniy Yatsenyuk reminded that the Government of Ukraine had transferred a number of financial powers to the regions: "That is why the local budget accounts got plus 35%".

However, the Prime Minister emphasized the need to carry out, apart from economic also the political decentralization: "In this framework, the Parliament is obliged to adopt a new Constitution. And such Constitution should be accepted by the people of Ukraine - people should express their approval."

"The Constitution should envisage depriving certain offices in Kyiv of certain powers and hand them to the local level to promote the country’s development. Centralization of power has never done anything good. We already have an example, when Yanukovych wanted to centralize power through illegal changes to the Constitution. There exists neither Yanukovych nor that Constitution, which he actually created for his needs," said Arseniy Yatsenyuk.