January 25, 2016

01/24/2016 Ukraine: Daily Highlights - Prime Minister Yatsenyuk called for the adoption of the Constitution via referendum

Prime Minister Yatsenyuk called for the adoption of the Constitution via referendum
Prime Minister Yatsenyuk called for the adoption of the Constitution via referendum

01.24.2016 Daily Highlights by the Digests & Analytics Ukraine

Prime Minister Yatsenyuk called for the adoption of the Constitution via referendumTopics from Media and Social Networks

  • Prime Minister Yatsenyuk called for the adoption of the Constitution via referendum.
  • About 300 people died of flu epidemy in the occupied Donbass .
  • The "Batkivschyna" party  demands the resignation of the Cabinet.

Key Events in Ukraine

  • President Poroshenko gave an interview to three Ukrainian television channels, in which he said that Ukraine will receive the next tranche of the IMF credit in amount of $ 1.7 billion in February . He said that Ukraine received the guarantees of donor assistance for the restoration of the Donbass. Poroshenko expects the talks on de-occupation of the Crimea with the participation of the EU and the US, as well as the submission of claims against the Russian Federation. He hopes that next week the Parliament will adopt in the first reading the amendments to the Constitution regarding the judicial reform and changes to the Budget Law,  required to obtain a visa-free regime. According to him, for Ukraine to adopt the changes to the Constitution it is required that Russia fulfills its obligations under the Minsk Agreement. Elections must be preceded by prolonged ceasefire, full access to the border for the OSCE, release of the hostages and full safety of the participants of the electoral process, possibly with the participation of the OSCE police contingent. The results of the "elections" held by the "republics" in October 2015 must be also cancelled.
  • Head of the Verkhovna Rada Groisman once again stated that the changes to the Constitution in terms of decentralization are "wrongly" associated with the granting of the special status to certain regions of Donetsk and Lugansk regions.
  • Prime Minister Yatsenyuk and Interior Minister Avakov speak in favor of changing the Constitution as a result of the national referendum and not through the adoption of the amendments by the Parliament. Yatsenyuk speaks for the renewal of the coalition agreement, which from the manifesto should become a binding document with a clear timetable. He believes that the main objective for this year is the construction of new schools, hospitals and roads in the regions.

Ukraine at War

  • During the fighting in the Donbass two Ukrainian soldiers were wounded. There were fights in Maryinka and near the Donetsk airport.
  • Leader of the DPR militants Zakharchenko said that the elections in the occupied territory will certainly be conducted in accordance with the Minsk Agreement, but without the participation of oligarchic parties and  Ukrainian political forces.
  • Leader of the Majlis Chubarov said that the de-occupation of the Crimea should be included into the negotiations process in Minsk instead of creating a new format of talks, since the agreement contain a clause for the restoration of the Ukraine's territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders, and the Crimea is its integral part.
  • Intelligence reports that about 300 people died in the occupied Donbass from flu and its complications .
  • Mariupol hosted a memorial service on the anniversary of the shelling of the city, when 30 people were killed, and 97 injured.

Ukraine and the World

  • French Economy Minister Macron believes that sanctions against Russia could be lifted already in the summer, subject to its fulfillment of the Minsk agreement .

The Trends


  • Statement of Prime Minister Yatsenyuk that the Constitution should be changed only by a referendum, and the coalition agreement should be rewritten, indicates the growing contradictions between him and the President and their transition into the open phase. The Parliament does not have enough votes to pass the presidential amendments to the Constitution, and the "People's Front" party is ready at any moment to leave the coalition, which could lead to early parliamentary elections. President Poroshenko bound with obligations to the West, once again said that there will be no early parliamentary elections, however, political analysts and civil society believe that the elections are more than likely, and the party keep the election headquarters ready. In the case of the early elections, the "People's Front" and the President’s parties  will inevitably lose the votes, which will give a chance to other participants of the elections to increase their presence in the Parliament. Civil society expects the adoption of  a new social contract and the Constitution based on the national discussion.
  • President’s attempt to associate the amendments to the Constitution on the "decentralization of power" with the granting of the special status to the occupied areas of the Donbass in the absence of a constitutional majority in the Parliament put the "Minsk process" into a dead end, that may change the format of negotiations and demand from Ukraine a new approach to the liberation of the occupied territories. Breakdown of the talks could result in a temporary escalation of the conflict in the Donbass, and Russia, which is financing it, is running out of money due to decrease in energy prices and unfavorable situation on the world markets. Over the last month, the Russian Federation did not send any "convoys" to the Donbass , which resulted in a salary arrears to "public sector" and social benefits and increased the social tensions.

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