Jaresko announces conditions, goals for serving as Ukraine PM

Finance Minister Natalie Jaresko, highly supported by the West to become Ukraine’s next prime minister, broke her silence and published a statement on March 22 on her Facebook page outlining the conditions under which she would agree to serve in that position. She called for forming a technocratic Cabinet free of any allegiances to political parties or business clans, made up of ministers without stakes in political careers or temptation for populism. She said she wants to work with experienced crisis managers with a proven record of successful reforms.

“Today the world is looking at Ukraine with certain distrust, placing under doubt our ability to conquer the sickness of corruption and create a healthy foundation for a dignified future for millions of Ukrainians,” Jaresko wrote. “Every day of honest governance brings the possibility to prove that national interests are more important than political pressure or business ties. This is the possibility to begin a process of renewing the trust of the people to the government.” Her statement was supported by Aivaras Abromavicius, the former economy minister and investment banker who resigned in early February in protest of corruption.

Zenon Zawada: Jaresko as prime minister is what the West wants and what Ukraine needs at this very precarious juncture. Yet her technocratic government would need support from a majority of the parliamentary factions, which has yet to emerge. Even if it would emerge, it’s questionable whether parliament would support the harsh, unpopular measures that would be pursued by a technocratic government. With her statement, Jaresko wanted to declare her political position, her interest in the post and to ensure that she’s not blamed for her passive position. That’s especially the case if the next prime minister becomes Volodymyr Hroisman, a close ally of the president yet a virtual guarantee that “business as usual” will continue.