“We have had each president proposing a plan of his own”

Today, we mark the 24th anniversary of the Ukrainian independence referendum, held on December 1, 1991. Then, 90 percent of the 32 million citizens of Ukraine who took part in the vote voted for independence. On the same day, Leonid Kravchuk was elected as the first president of Ukraine, getting 61 percent of the vote.

 The Day asked the first president of Ukraine to answer our questions regarding who of our compatriots took advantage of this popular vote, and why some people attempt to question the independence of Ukraine after 24 years.

We have not had a single strategic plan. Kravchuk’s plan was to build a state, and I acted in accordance with the plan. Then, Leonid Kuchma came to power and said my plan would not do, and began to implement his plan. When Viktor Yushchenko came to power, he said that Kuchma’s plan would not do, and began to build according to his own plan. With Viktor Yanukovych’s ascent, he said that some special plan would be implemented. With Petro Poroshenko in power, we have yet another plan once again. That is, each president proposed his plan, and there was no common strategy adopted for 24 years, no Constitution which would be adhered to by all political forces.

“As for the question of who took advantage of the referendum. People were not given the right to control the government, because the Constitution they adopted had neither workable procedure for the impeachment of the president, nor one for recall of the members of parliament. Once these officials take their seats, they forget who put them there. They cease caring about people.

“Now as well, people see how bad our situation is, we hear them screaming everywhere and complaining that life is too hard, and it is not clear if corruption fight is for real. Do they have any influence on the government, though? We hear appeals for the third Maidan and early elections. If this happens, then I fear that we will be unable to preserve Ukraine.