Viola von Cramon, Member of the European Parliament (MEP), Deputy Chair of the EP Delegation to the EU-Ukraine Parliamentary Association Committee (EPA), Germany, Green Group/European Free Alliance, has suggested that Ukraine should include opposition representatives in its executive bodies.
In an exclusive interview with Interfax-Ukraine, the MEP stated that holding presidential elections in Ukraine is impossible due to the war waged by the Russian Federation. In this regard, she expressed support for the inclusion of opposition representatives in the Ukrainian executive branch.
“Yes, this is what I consider necessary. I think we should have made this a precondition at the very beginning (of providing financial assistance to Ukraine)… You saw how Netanyahu (Israeli Prime Minister) created a military cabinet from the very beginning, 24 hours after the attack (by the Hamas terrorist organization on Israel). He made sure to include everyone and that everyone spoke with one voice. The same could be expected from Ukraine,” she said.
At the same time, the MEP did not rule out that this condition could be specified when providing further financial support. “I would say that the US, the EU, Germany and other donors may require this. I think we need to make sure that all participants in the political arena receive the same attention, the same access, and the same financial review. This way, they know what money is coming and going and why certain decisions are made. I am in favor of involving the opposition more in the decision-making process at the executive level,” she argued.
In addition, the agency’s interlocutor, stating the impossibility of holding elections throughout Ukraine, allowed the discussion of holding local elections in the non-occupied territories. “The Constitution (of Ukraine) does not allow holding elections during the war. But perhaps we could discuss or think about local elections in those territories, in those regions that are not occupied. But I am not sure that this is being discussed, and it is not for me, as a European, to talk about it,” von Cramon said.
The MEP also commented on cases when members of the Verkhovna Rada were denied permission to sign business trips outside the country. “Yes, we are very well aware of this and we are fighting for the rights of my colleagues. This is not normal. But it’s not just the opposition. Interestingly, after one of the votes, people who did not vote for a certain law faced the same appeal. So it’s not just the opposition. In fact, this is used as a political tool against those MPs who did not follow the presidential line, and this is a problem,” von Cramon said.
She believes that the Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada, Ruslan Stefanchuk, “does not decide anything,” and that the decisions are made by “the Secretary General of the Rada (Vyacheslav Shtuchnyi), appointed by the President’s Office.” “You have an elected speaker of the Ukrainian Rada chamber, but you also have a secretary general appointed by the President’s Office who makes all the decisions, earns a lot of money – 13 thousand euros – and is not obliged to disclose (declare) his assets and his income. This is what really worries me,” the European politician said.
Von Cramon also believes that the Verkhovna Rada could allow journalists to cover its work again. “I think it would be fair to leave the doors (of the parliament) open and give a place to journalists who are interested in reporting directly on the debate to feel the spirit, the dynamics of the debate, but I don’t think I have anything to say about that,” the MEP said.
At the same time, she is convinced that the press in Ukraine is “free,” although “there are certain restrictions and, of course, a lot of subcensorship.” “It’s more like what you think: “If I publish this, if I criticize this, it might end up in Putin’s hands or help Putin discredit Ukraine,” and of course that’s not in the interest of most journalists. But I wouldn’t say that there are any, let’s say, red lines that cannot be crossed,” von Cramon explained her opinion.
At the same time, she also believes that “there is a tendency in the Presidential Office not to give a voice to the opposition and critics.” “With this marathon (the United News telethon), they have actually included all journalists and ensured that the pluralism of the media landscape has virtually disappeared. This unity does not reflect the diversity of the political landscape, and this can be criticized. I criticize it. But I would not say that there is no free and objective media,” stated the MEP.
