The high concentration of power in the hands of the state leadership and persons close to power worries Western partners, and there are reasons for that.
This follows from a statement by political scientist Volodymyr Tsybulko in his column for the Glavkom website, the Ukrainian News agency reports.
He said that political experts note not only a drop in ratings but also a trend towards the usurpation of power.
"Tendencies towards an authoritarian regime are already being followed today. Pressure is being exerted on political opponents, no matter what our attitude to them is. The Baloha family, Shufryches, the Dubnevych brothers, Borys Kaufman, Geo Leros, Vitali Klitschko...", - notes the political scientist in a blog for the mass media.
In this context, Tsybulko talks about the "actual elimination of political opponents," meaning the banning of parties and suppression of political and civil rights. As one of the examples, he cited the persecution of MP Yaroslav Dubnevych, who, as we wrote, was recently declared wanted.
The expert recalls that back in 2018, the court seized Dubnevych's main assets - Novoyavorivska and Novorozdilska thermal power plants and handed them over to ARMA management. However, since that time, not only has the state short-received dividends but also suffered losses in the amount of more than UAH 370 million.
The political scientist notes that criminal proceedings have been opened against all former heads of ARMA.
"Business assets, property have become a kind of tool, thanks to which the authorities can put pressure on anyone who does not agree with certain processes or publicly expresses an alternative vision of what is happening in the country", - the column says.
This, according to Tsybulko, may indicate that under loud statements about the fight against corruption, there is often an ordinary redistribution of assets, in which representatives of the law enforcement agencies and the judiciary participate under the control of the authorities.
Meanwhile, funds are concentrated in the pockets of new oligarchs, whose names are still unknown, but they are persons close to the authorities.
Such pressure on business and opposition politicians, the political scientist believes, has acquired threatening proportions. Its purpose is to establish control over MPs who are not part of the ruling majority.
According to the expert's calculations, since the beginning of work of the Verkhovna Rada of IX convocation, 20 MPs have already been left without a mandate.
Such pressure from the authorities could have caused the tragic events that took place, the expert notes.
"Four MPs died prematurely - the above-mentioned Davydenko, as well as Kovaliov, Poliakov (the Servant of the People faction) and Andrii Ivanchuk (Dovira group). I am confused by the series of suicides among Ukrainian politicians. At the beginning of September, the former head of the Kherson Regional State Administration, Hennadii Lahuta, first disappeared and later was found dead in one of the districts of Kyiv. Now, the National Police is investigating a criminal case regarding a possible suicide. Prior to that, in 2019, MP Dmytro Tymchuk passed away (the versions of suicide, intentional murder, and accident are being considered). In a year, in 2020, MP Valerii Davydenko, elected in a single-mandate district in the Chernihiv Region, dies of a gunshot wound to the head. Law enforcement officers say it was suicide, but the politician's colleagues disagree with that version", - the political expert emphasizes.
He expressed his concern that during martial law, issues are raised regarding the holding of parliamentary and presidential elections, which is expressly prohibited by the Constitution. At the same time, no one has yet changed the Basic Law, and it states that the next presidential election should be held in the spring of next year.
"How the authorities will solve this issue is unknown. But the fact that influencing the parliament and each deputy is one of its main tasks is indisputable. Holding MPs hostage with the help of criminal proceedings has, unfortunately, become a sign of modern political realities", - summarizes the expert.
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