Azerbaijan, Baku / Тrend corr A. Gasimova / The Ukrainian Party of Regions' uncertainty of victory in the early parliamentary elections may make the situation in the country tense. "Tensions in Ukraine are really generating and this is caused first of all by the Party of Regions' uncertainty about its victory in the elections," the Director of the Ukrainian Situations Modelling Agency, Vitaliy Bala, said
By the order of the Ukrainian President, Victor Yushchenko, early parliamentary elections in Ukraine were officially scheduled for 30 September 2007. The Party of Regions headed by the Ukrainian Prime Minister, Victor Yanukovich, is a leading political movement in the elections.
If the results of the elections are not in favour of the Party of Regions, mass actions will certainly be attempted, but they are unlikely to cause reconsideration of the results, Bala said by phone from Kiev on 25 September. As early as today political rivals of the Party of Regions suggest approval of the results of the elections, as well as joint control of calculating the results of the elections. Thus, they do not create prerequisites for accusation of gerrymandering," Bala said.
According to him, the Party of Regions itself caused a drop in its ratings. "The media spread reports about the discharge of the senior political consultant of the party from office, American Paul Manafort, which proves a decrease in the rating of the party (Manafort participated as consultant of the Party of Regions in the 2006 elections of which were successful for the party)," Bala said.
According to the expert, the referendum on granting the status of the second official language as Russian was launched due to dwindling ratings. "The initiators hoped to mobilize their voters in this way, but, judging by statements of Party of Regions regarding the upcoming gerrymandering by its main opponents - the Bloc of Yulia Timoshenko, and the Bloc 'Our Ukraine-Public Self-defence', they will not achieve their goal," the expert said.
As for the efficiency of the election campaign, the expert stressed the Bloc of Yulia Timoshenko, as well as the Bloc of Litvin. "The Party of Regions and the Bloc 'Our Ukraine-Public Self-defence' wallow in mutual accusations regarding their campaign, and that does not promote support for them," he said.