KIEV, March 19. /TASS/. The language issue is one of the key slogans being used in the election campaign of incumbent President Pyotr Poroshenko, and should the Verkhovna Rada (Ukrainian Parliament) adopt the language bill prior to the presidential elections, this law would serve Poroshenko’s rating like ‘hole in the head’, political scientist Konstantin Bondarenko, head of the Ukrainian Politics Institute, said in an interview with the Glavred newspaper.

Speaking about the essence of the bill, it is fundamentally discriminatory, Bondarenko said, adding "such a law is unacceptable from a civilized European point of view." According to the political scientist, "this is pure PR." "The law is written in such a way that even if the Rada adopts it, its provisions are not going to be fulfilled or will be selectively adhered to. If the law is passed before the elections, in terms of Poroshenko’s ratings it will help him like ‘a hole in the head’. And for those with such low approval ratings such measures are of little use," Bondarenko added.

"If the law is somehow put to the vote, but the MPs vote it down, Poroshenko will be barking everywhere about the "region’s revenge" and "schemes by pro-Russian forces." And in case the law is adopted, then, without a doubt, Poroshenko will run to take credit for it," the expert noted.

The Verkhovna Rada will continue considering the bill on Tuesday.

Ukraine’s ‘language’ law

October 4 last year, following difficult discussions, the Ukrainian parliament passed the language bill in its first reading. It began considering the bill in its second reading on February 28. To date, more than 2,000 amendments to the bill were tabled, but only 490 amendments had been considered by the end of the last plenary week (March 15).

The law drew a lot of public attention both home and abroad. Particularly, Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Dunja Mijatovic called on the Rada to stop considering the bill during the election campaign period and ensure that national minorities have their say in the document. Deputy Head of the Hungarian community in Kiev Tibor Tompa expressed concerns that if the law is adopted, interethnic relations in Ukraine might become strained.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov reported that Moscow was alarmed at the violations of national minorities’ language and education rights carried out by Kiev and, in this regard, the top diplomat said that he had appealed to the EU, The Council of Europe, the OSCE and NATO. Chairman of the political council of Ukraine’s Opposition Platform - For Life party Viktor Medvedchuk, this party’s presidential hopeful Yuri Boiko and a number of other politicians have also publicly declared their opposition to the law.