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Ukrainian political system is predisposed to parliamentary model
Andriy Yermolayev, Director of the Center for social studies Sofia  There is no need to create conditions for groundless centralization of power which induces permanent search for the rescuers of the country or enlightened rulers. I see no necessity to decide every five years, whether these people can rescue country holding the post of the president or not – we need no public efforts related to choosing heroes and anti-heroes.
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Today's variant of semi-parliamentarian republic does not suit Ukraine
Antonina Kolodiy, Doctor of Political Sciences, Head of the Department of Political Sciences and Philosophy of Lviv regional institute of public administration of NAPA  The democracy in Verkhovna Rada dominates at the level of freedom of speech and fight, but there is no such thing at the level of achieving compromises for the sake of public good. Consequently, it is more akin to ochlocracy, though in the legislative body.
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„There is a danger of decline of capability of power”
Yuri Yakymenko, leading expert of the Razumkov Ukrainian center for economic and political studies  A problem of fundamental importance can arise, if the majority in the parliament and government form a political opposition to the president. Under present level of political culture of domestic political elite, traditions of political opposition, it can threaten the capability of the system of power.
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„We are not old enough for pure parliamentarianism”
Yuri Rymarenko, LL.D., Prof., Institute of Public Law The parliamentarian–presidential form of rule suits us, but with clarifications of plenary powers of parliament and prerogatives of the president. For their sake it is necessary to disregard political state of affairs and adopt amendments to the legislation.
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Political reform: “traumatized at birth”
Volodymyr Lupatsiy, executive director of the Center for social research Sofia  If political elites are unable to realize imperfect current political reform and a major political crisis is provoked, it will automatically discredit parliamentarism. Because of amateurism and political irresponsibility of ruling class, Ukraine may go back to consideration of presidential (chancellor) model of executive power.
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Adoption of the new redaction of Constitution is the only alternative
Kostiantyn Matviyenko, Gardarika Corp.  The absence of constitution is better, than the presence of unrealizable constitution. We have the second variant now, and it is wrong. We should consider the new redaction of the Constitution of 1996; we’d rather change three dozens of paragraphs, and put the new redaction to referendum.
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Serious instability threatens future governments
Anatoly Tkachuk, Adviser to the President  “From now on the Verkhovna Rada will go by its regulations and not a law. Now any regulation, which does not need to be signed by the President, may be amended. And no court will be able to proclaim any law based on it unconstitutional”
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“No doubt, a political reform is needed; however, let’s avoid a mishmash of notions”
Victor Tymoshchuk, Chairman of the Center of political and legal reforms  When President Kuchma initiated the so-called political reform, there were no reasons to alter the Constitution, especially on such scale. In fact, political reform includes acts developing the norms of Constitution, and not simple constitutional changes.
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“Developing the new legal theory for the Ukrainian Constitution, we can rivet Europe’s attention as well”
Serhiy Datsiuk, Gardarika Corp.  All current writings and amendments of Constitution, our descendants will have to throw out into the garbage heap of history, as the present elite sets weak aims and operates mostly non-strategically.
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Ukraine has already run into the problems of implementation of constitutional changes
Mykola Yakovyna, adviser on local self-government for the Program of partnership of communities of the Ukraine-USA Fund  I am sure, Democratic Ukraine will be realized as the unitary decentralized republic with presidential-parliamentarian form of rule with broadened local self-government.
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“The process of making changes in the Constitution is underway still”
Mykola Koziubra, LL.D., Prof., Honored Lawyer of Ukraine  Any model of republic can be effective if the balance between the branches of power is observed and there is a system of control and counterbalances. This balance was broken because of the attempts to delegate more power to the Verkhovna Rada.
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“The transition to the presidential and premier model is a likelier formulation”
Olexiy Haran, Professor of Political Science, Vice-President of Eurasia Fund for Ukraine, Belarus, and Moldova  One can predict now that there will be no single-party power; there will be a coalition government, and in this sense we go closer to Europe, where mainly coalition governments rule. However, the latter can hamper the reforms.
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“Political parties will have to become more civilized with time”
Vitaly Kulyk, Director of the Center for examination of the problems of civil society  After the political reform there will be a common game and common rules to play by. If there is no result, the government will step down, and the parties backing it will account for it.
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The parliamentary republic is but a chance for democracy
Volodymyr Polokhalo, Director of the Institute of Post-Communist Society  The parliamentary republic is not a panacea for political problems or a cure securing inevitability of democratic changes. Parliamentarianism simply creates a little more chances for democracy, providing for sufficient level of political competition
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“Ukraine will have to experiment with itself”
Olexandr Derhachov, political scientist  Ukraine will run into many complications, related both to imperfection of the norms of Constitution becoming valid from New Year on and to the unreadiness of main political subjects.
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Parliament 2006 can be ineffective
Volodymyr Malinkovich, political scientist  I think that the first parliament under new conditions will be far from ideal. But if now we manage to avoid opposition between “our” and “not-our”, if we manage to create a two-color coalition government, we will have enough time to form a real party system.
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So far there has been no political reform in Ukraine
Olexandr Shmorhun, Candidate of philosophy, senior researcher of the Institute of world economy and international relations  We had no presidential republic, we had a quasi-presidential republic; we won’t have a parliamentary, but a pseudo-parliamentary republic. However, the real task is to develop a complex model of presidential republic optimally answering the challenges of the transitional time of our country now.
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This Constitution will be changed many times in the future
Andriy Fedorov, Deputy Director of the European institute for integration and development  Gradually, the VR will change in earnest. Mainly due to greater economic, political and social responsibility. Gradually it will become the center of political life and center of power, pushing the president to the background.
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In future we will see a purely parliamentary republic in the Ukraine
Dmytro Vydrin, Director of the European Institute for Integration and Development  This political reform is a small, but necessary step in the direction of political competition. And with time everything will look the European way, where the leaders of factions coordinate political interests, and ministers realize the executive power. They implement the decisions adopted by the parliament.
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“In future the party oligarchy will sway the destinies of the country”
Victoriya Pidhorna, Candidate of Philosophy, Executive Director of the Center for Socio-Political Projects  We will certainly augment the role of parties, but the effectiveness of politics is still doubtful. The society is deprived of the last possibility to control those people who will be elected to the parliament according to the list compiled. The country will be ruled not by the balanced representations of different social groups, but by oligarchic clans. They will compete with each other completely ignoring the interests of citizens.
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“The public administration will take a third part of efficacy as a result of this political reform”
Serhiy Teleshun, President of the Spivdruzhnist Fund, Doctor of Political Sciences, Prof.  The Constitutional reform was tactically positive bringing about the trade-off without a civil conflict; still, it is strategically faulty.
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“Democracy has more guarantees under parliamentary ruling"
Viktor Pohorilko, Deputy Director of the V. Koretsky Institute of State and Law of the NAS of Ukraine, JD, Prof.  Post-totalitarian or post-dictatorial countries tend to distance themselves from autocracy, as it is capable of backslide. Therefore, such countries prefer parliamentarism.
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