Anti-corruption MP Sobolev leaves Self-Reliance to launch own party

Yegor Sobolev, who distinguished himself as being
forced from his post as head of the parliamentary anti-corruption committee,
announced on Apr. 10 that he is resigning from the Self-Reliance party. He told
the pravda.com.ua news site that day that he is launching his own political
force. He said he made his decision to leave Self-Reliance already in October
2017, when his fellow party members didn’t support the mass protests outside the parliament building
for political reforms, including open-list voting for parliament and ending
political immunity for MPs. Moreover, party members have indulged in corruption
schemes themselves, he said, in violation of the party’s declared principles of
virtuousness. Sobolev has prided himself as being the only MP to have been
dismissed as head of the anti-corruption committee, which occurred in December
2017.

Zenon Zawada: The
42-year-old Sobolev would have been a much better choice for Ukrainians than
Volodymyr Zelenskiy, 41, if they had wanted a talented and principled reformer
as president. Besides having a consistent anti-corruption position and having
worked with NGOs, Sobolev is also well-versed in foreign policy, which is
another advantage he would have offered over Zelenskiy. If Sobolev plays his
cards right and finds enough financial backers (without undermining his key
principles), he has all the potential to emerge as a leading politician in the
next five-ten years, while Zelenskiy is likely to be a flash in the pan.

The Self-Reliance party has weak prospects to return
to parliament in the October vote, as recent polls have shown. Having
championed itself as a party of young reformers, it has been stained with
corruption accusations, including from Sobolev, who was among the party’s
leading figures. Moreover, its behind-the-scenes leader, Andriy Sadovyi, enjoys
little support beyond Lviv, where he is the mayor.

At the same time, the political landscape will change
dramatically until October, with most parties having enough time to rebrand
themselves and become competitive.