Experts says cynicism, impunity of Kyiv mayor are evidence of support from presidential secretariat

Kyiv, February 20 (Interfax-Ukraine) – The cynicism and impunity of Kyiv Mayor Leonid Chernovetsky could be demonstrated by the fact that he might become a major sponsor for incumbent President Viktor Yuschenko at the upcoming presidential election, Director of the Horshenin Institute of Management Problems Kost Bondarenko has said.

"I won't be surprised if Mayor Chernovetsky, despite all of his disagreements with the presidential secretariat, becomes a major sponsor for [President] Viktor Yuschenko's election campaign at the next presidential election," he said at a roundtable, entitled "The results of the political week, as seen by political analysts and experts," at the Interfax-Ukraine news agency on Friday.

Bondarenko said that this week "has seen a peak of cynicism by the Kyiv authorities."

"All of the innovations proposed [by the local authorities] are evidence that the Kyiv authorities have felt they can do anything they like in Kyiv," he said.

The expert said that the results of a survey conducted by the institute point to a serious fall in the popularity rating of Chernovetsky.

"With very serious financial resources, Chernovetsky evidently has big ideas at the national level," he said.

"Owing to the fact that Chernovetsky could become a major donor to the president's election campaign, he could feel this kind of impunity and permissiveness," Bondarenko said.

Director of the Penta Center for Applied Political Studies Volodymyr Fesenko said the Ukrainian parliament lacked several votes this week to pass a law on the election of local heads in two rounds. He said that this document had received no support from the Regions Party's faction, which has been recently opposed to the policies of Chernovetsky.

"Chernovetsky has currently turned into a threat to Kyiv residents," he said.