Friday, February 10, 2006

More legislative non-acts

The Parliament voted yesterday to exempt Nikopol from re-privatization. The Rada has spoken so that should end it right? Not really. This may be another one of those things the legislature passes which is promptly ignored by the administration.

So what will the Rada do if they are ignored? Maybe Lytvyn will make another speech where he deplores the fact that the legislature speaks but is then ignored. Or maybe they'll pass another piece of legislation condemning their vote being ignored. That'll show them, it will!

But again, legislatures like the Rada here, can't just pass things that are then ignored. It strikes at their authority which, for this legilsature, isn't exactly a done deal yet. What surprises me is that Lytvyn hasn't been more careful to hoard the Rada's authority than this. He did this pretty well during the OR. His problem though is that he wants to take his shot at the president in honor of the election to come, but he is looking around for ways to avoid any blowback. Won't happen. He though has been a big disappointment recently.

So what will happen? I suspect the government will sell Nikopol. Maybe then the Rada deputies can take that one to the people in the coming election and make the case how the big bad government sold an oligarchic company out from under its rich, well-heeled, and Cyprus sunned owners. I bet that will sit well with people who are making about $200 a month or less.

So it's another hit the legislature has taken that it set in motion itself. A roundhouse punch that went around to far and hit them. Couldn't happen to a nicer bunch of guys. (And it is predominantly guys.)

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