KIEV, May 17. /TASS/. The breakup of the coalition in the Ukrainian parliament has denied the president-elect, Vladimir Zelensky, of a formal chance to disband the Verkhovna Rada and call early elections, but several alternative options still remain possible, Ukrainian political scientist Andrei Zolotaryov has told TASS.
"The breakup of the coalition creates problems for Zelensky in attempts to disband the Verkhovna Rada. But Ukraine is a country of unlimited opportunities and everything is possible there, including early parliamentary situations in a situation like this," he said.
Zolotaryov explained that two factors may help Zelensky dissolve the Rada, although the mechanism of forming a new majority has been already set in motion.
"For instance, there may follow a court ruling that there has been no coalition for the past three years and all deadlines have expired. Or Zelensky may gather a crowd of 50,000 in front of the parliament building. The legislators will then be faced with a dilemma - to get out through the front door or through the windows," Zolotaryov explained.
The heavy public support for Zelensky may help both option to materialize.
"Zelensky’s public legitimacy has not decreased one iota according to opinion polls. Moreover, the rating of his party [Servant of the People] has grown, while the public legitimacy of the Verkhovna Rada is a tiny 4% [of public support] for 450 legislators," Zolotaryov recalled.
Such solid backing from society may excuse Zelensky even if he resorts to certain legal violations in calling early parliamentary elections, the analyst believes.
"This may prompt Zelensky to act in accordance with political expediency prevailing over the rule of law. Naturally, the public at large will laud this. If he prefers to act in this way, I do not think that the Verkhovna Rada will have many defenders," Zolotaryov suspects.
In his opinion, the collapse of the coalition should have been expected, because for the past three years many in Ukraine kept saying that there were not enough legislators for creating a coalition.
"Behind the collapse of the coalition the people will see only a bunch political bankrupts clinging on to power in the hope for delaying the inevitable crash, because those who voted in the presidential election in fact showed this team the red card. And utter political disqualification is looming on their horizon. In attempts to try to gain an extra several months in office they will not stop at anything," Zolotaryov concluded.
Earlier on Friday, parliamentary speaker Andrei Parubiy said the coalition had fallen apart following the walkout of the Popular Front faction. Now, he said, the process of forming a new majority has been set in motion. It is to be completed within a 30-day deadline.