Ukrainiana

Tymo Keeps in Touch

With all my heart, I thank all those who supported our political team, those who entrusted us with their lives and with the life of the country.

Your trust and your vote are a tremendous responsibility that we owe you for every commitment that our team undertook. We will deliver everything we promised during the campaign. I also want to thank all members of our team, all election commission members, and all observers. I know that you worked hard for Ukraine, had no sleep for two or three days. You protected the people’s choice. You did it for your conscience, not for money. Without you, we would have never won.

With the end of the election campaign, the political crisis is finally over. The new coalition and the new government will restore order in the country. We will curb inflation, corruption, chaos and injustice. Go on and build your future plans. And we we’ll help their realization. As always, I’m with you.

This post-election address hit the screen a few days ago, after the Orange camp finally inked a coalition deal and sliced the cabinet pie.

Yulia Tymoshenko, the expectant PMother of the coalition, exudes confidence, waiting for her Oscar night. Within days of her official nomination by President Yushchenko, she is canvasing support for her candidacy in the new Verkhovna Rada.

She takes pleasure in taunting Yanukovych with speculations that some PRU MPs will break the party line, and will support for her candidacy. It’s her way of responding to the Party of Regions’ claim that some Tymo-antagonists in the Orange camp will not vote for her.

Outgoing PM Viktor Yanukovych has sunk into a sullen mood. Naturally, he exhibits an insecure attachment triggered by the torturous anticipation of being parted with the toy of his life. His stabilnist is slipping away. He can be heard extolling the virtues of shyrka (grand coalition) and can be seen throwing just-you-wait tantrums. Regionalist boys find it hard to be in an equal opportunity sandbox (relatively speaking, of course), and one full of other eligible kids.

To minimize their ambivalence, the Orange coalition has promised them a royal diet of opposition perks and pacifiers. The consolation package, unprecedented in Ukraine’s history, will include the posts of Vice Speaker and Vice PM, along with a host of senior positions in local government.

As the majority stakeholder in the Orange coalition, Tymo wants to keep things nice and easy, and to keep her fans in the loop in case something goes wrong.

Concern remains over the coalition’s insufficient voting capability and tricky internal dynamics. It is still unclear whether Mr. Lytvyn is out or whether he is in.

This reminder ad presents itself as an innovative technique to build voter goodwill and thus maintain an insurance against coalition volatility. Tymoshenko sets herself apart from the "one night stand" tradition according to which the “partners in democracy” lost contact the day after.