MILLIONS ARE BEING PAID TO BECOME MP IN UKRAINE

Ukraine political party seats still up for sale: election watchdog
KIEV, Aug 4 2005 (AFP) - Political parties in Ukraine are still selling places on their electoral lists ahead of a key parliamentary vote next year, with price tags sometimes reaching into the millions of dollars, an election watchdog group said Thursday.
The Committee of Voters in Ukraine (CVU) said that according to its estimates, the price to be included on a list for the national parliament of a pro-government party is between two million and 14 million dollars.
"All political parties are holding negotiations right now... and prices will increase closer to the election," said Oleksandr Chernenko, a spokesman for the non-governmental organization.
Prices for lists for regional legislatures are lower and depend on the region, with the capital Kiev fetching the highest sums, from 200,000 dollars to 600,000 dollars.
Chernenko said the system of buying places in political party lists is likely to continue as long as legislators enjoy judicial immunity and as long as a system of lobbying, such as the one practiced in the United States, does not take root in the ex-Soviet country.
The CVU, which has been monitoring elections in Ukraine since 1994, collects information from its national branches and through contacts with members of both political parties and business, Chernenko said.
Ukraine holds a crucial parliamentary vote in March 2006. Because of constitutional changes, much of the power currently held by the nation's president will at that time be with the prime minister who will be nominated by parliament.
Ukraine's new authorities, who came to power during mass protests over election fraud during last year's "orange revolution" presidential poll, have vowed to wipe out the nation's rampant corruption.