KIEV, June 08 /ITAR-TASS/. A grass-roots rally, or the so-called popular veche, is being held on Sunday in Kiev’s central Independence Square, known as Maidan - the word that has become a symbol od popular protests. Participants want to see newly elected President Petr Poroshenko and to hear a government reports about the results of its work over 100 days.
“Kiev’s community and Maidan want a public meeting with the newly elected president of Ukraine, with the newly elected mayor of the capital city and a report from the government about 100 days of its work,” organizers said in a release.
According to an Itar-Tass correspondent in Kiev, activists read out a list of 16 demands to Poroshenko, whom they called “first among equals but not a czar.” The authors called on the new president to spare no efforts “to make a human Ukraine’s key value, to ensure dignity and justice for all.”
Among other demands were adopting a new constitution, decentralization of power, ensuring the right of communities “to recall any officials of any power branch on their territories.” “And we, the people of Ukraine, undertake to work honestly and selflessly, we will do our utmost to solve all these tasks,” activists said from the rostrum.
Poroshenko, who was elected Ukraine’s president at the May 25 polls, was sworn into office on June 7.
On June 1, Kiev’s Independence Square saw another “popular veche.” Participants decided to continue their actions until all their demands were satisfied, according to a manifesto adopted by the Maidan activists. “Maidan will be there until all its demands are satisfied,” the manifesto said. “Our demands are punishment to criminals, lustration, a package of laws to change the system of power, re-establishment of the constitutional system in a number of communities, and punishment to those responsible for the deaths and tortures of activists.”
The manifesto called for “structural changes in the Maidan,” and a “system of the dialogue with the authorities.” It also called to establish municipal police from among Maidan activists.
So far, there is no information whether the president, the prime minister or the mayor would address the rally.