Key Ukraine vacancies could be approved in single package, MP says
29 September 2017
Key vacancies in the
Ukrainian government, some of which are needed to secure the next IMF loan
tranche, could be approved in a single legislative package, said on Sept. 28
Ihor Kononenko, the first deputy head of the Petro Poroshenko Bloc
faction in parliament.
Among the appointments he mentioned was members of the Central Election
Commission, the heads
of the National Bank and the Accounting Chamber, all of which have been
specifically requested by the IMF.
Zenon Zawada: While such a legislative package
would be positive for Ukraine securing the IMF tranche, it would also enable
the Poroshenko administration to force through some unpopular appointments,
especially for the Central Election Commission ahead of the critical 2019
elections. We expect the pro-Western reformists to oppose such a legislative
package if it involves questionable appointments. Yet the president has repeatedly
demonstrated he doesn’t always need their votes to get legislation approved.
approved this month, as we didn’t exclude the possibility of an extraordinary
session. Although we did expect the Poroshenko administration to have more
trouble in meeting the IMF’s increasingly difficult requirements, we didn’t
think it would happen so soon. We still expect the government to meet key IMF’s requirements to get
the loan tranche in the fourth quarter, but with less confidence.
