Yulia Tymoshenko: BYuT in favor of simultaneous elections for Kyiv mayor, city and district councils

An unconstitutional "change of power" took place in Kyiv in recent weeks. In the coalition of the Chernovetsky Bloc and Party of Regions, which has been running the city since 2006, the senior and junior partners switched places and the financial flows changed.

Yes, the capital needs major personnel changes. But only the residents of Kyiv should decide who will run their city. BYuT’s position is clear: on October 31, there must be simultaneous elections for mayor, city and district councils.

The Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc is categorically against the liquidation of the district councils in Kyiv. The decision was passed during the Bloc council that BYuT will not attend the extraordinary session of the Kyiv City Council, which was convened in violation of the rules and regulations.

Based on the current law, only the head of the district council can be the head of the district state administration. The Party of Regions is certain that they’ll lose the local elections in Kyiv and Yanukovych won’t be able to appoint "people from Makiyivka [Donetsk oblast]". Therefore, he’s solving this problem by denying the residents of Kyiv the right to choose who governs them. First they changed the city authorities without elections, and now they’re seeking to do the same in the districts of the city.

In the interests of the residents of Kyiv, BYuT decided to boycott today’s session and not participate in the destruction of democracy and local self-government.

Every deputy from the BYuT faction that departs from this position will be betraying the residents of Kyiv and his own political force – and will immediately be expelled from the party and deprived of their deputy status for violating citizens’ fundamental rights and freedoms.