CUSHY JOB FOR YUSHCHENKO’S CHILD GODFATHER

A banker was voted in as a new prime minister of the Crimea. Friday, ninety deputies of the Crimean legislature cast their votes for president of the National Bank of the Ukraine in the Crimea Anatoly Burdyugov, appointed by Ukrainian president Victor Yushchenko. Two days before, speaker of the regional legislature Boris Deutsch had traveled to Kiev to submit to Victor Yushchenko three candidates for the position of the prime minister. Yushchenko had given preference to Godfather of his child Mr. Burdyugov who also heads the local branch of the presidential party. Back to Crimea, Mr. Deutsch held a vote without any debates. He only said that the president wants to see Mr. Burdyugov at the helm of the ruling team in the Crimea. The deputies got the message and complied with the presidential wish. Former prime minister Sergey Kunitsyn denounced the procedure as unconstitutional. He pointed out that the speaker had to hold a vote on every candidacy and only then members of the legislature could make their final decision. Mr. Kunitsyn called the new prime minister “a political kamikaze” saying he is facing a suicidal mission to clean up the mess left by his predecessor Anatoly Matvienko.
Another vacant high position in the Crimea was filled by Yushchenko this week. Director of the state company “Titan” Vladimir Kulish was appointed representative of the president in the peninsula. Mr. Kulish is said to be in bad relations with the new prime minister. Many observers see this appointment as an attempt to keep Crimean officials in check. Mutual dislike could prop two big shots to report on each other to their masters in Kiev. “Divide and rule” seems to be the only way Kiev can count on to keep the defiant Crimea under its rule.