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Yanukovych ally named to housing ministry
Journal Staff Report

KIEV, July 12 – President Viktor Yanukovych on Tuesday appointed his long-time Donetsk ally as the minister in charge of housing and regional development to supervise a sector that is in need of serious reform.

Anatoliy Blyzniuk, 62, the governor of Donetsk region, was appointed to replace Viktor Tykhonov, who had been fired by Yanukovych 1.5 months ago.

The appointment triggered an immediate criticism amid speculation that Blyzniuk, a Soviet-style manager, would not be able to spearhead reform and would simply conserve problems in the sector.

The appointment also shows Yanukovych increasingly reliance on the Donetsk political group in the central government, a signal that he has been lacking broader political support.

“Blyzniuk is a member of old political elite. He is a representative of the Soviet school of management,” Boris Kushniruk, a senior member of the opposition Ukrainian People’s Party.

“At his age it’s simply impossible to change views based on stereotypes formed during the Soviet Union,” Kushniruk said. “This shows the level of
problems with personnel that Yanukovych faces.”

Blyzniuk, however, assured Yanukovych that he will be able to make the difference.

“I am not a new person. I know that old problems cannot be solved in an old way. I see these problems,” Blyzniuk told Kommentari.

Blyzniuk also suggested that deregulation of monopolistic utilities supplies in regions may be on agenda. “We are talking about gas and water
supplies. We have to look at that,” he said.

Meanwhile, more questions were raised after data was released on Tuesday indicting the Donetsk region - under Blyznuk’s watch - has fared the
No. 3 worst region out of 25 in Ukraine in the first quarter in terms of collection of payments for housing and utilities.

Collection of money is the key ingredient behind the reform that is aimed at modernization and replacement of hundreds of thousands of elevators across Ukraine, and financing other infrastructure projects.

The data also suggest that Yanukovych has never used professional and management achievements for making the appointment, but rather political loyalty.

This continued the latest trend when Yanukovych has only issued confidence in candidates from Donetsk, his stronghold.

Oleksandr Anishchenko, 51, another long-time member of the Donetsk administration, was last month appointed by Yanukovych as the healthcare
minister to replace Illiya Yemets. Each time Yanyukovych cited lack of reforms for making the reshuffle.

“The appointment shows that Yankovych has not learned anything during the past 1.5 years in power,” Kushniruk said. “They are making the same mistake again.”

Yanukovych’s political support has been declining fast due to a number of painful reforms, but also due to alleged rampant corruption at all levels of
government.

“So, one does not have to be an Oracle to predict that there will be a pessimistic scenario in the housing sector,” Kushniruk said. “There will be no
any transparent, fair and understandable for the society reforms in this sector.”

“We will observe continuation of the policy of his predecessor Tykhonov,” Kushniruk said. “These will be half reforms with an attempt to maintain Soviet system of housing and infrastructure.” (tl/ez)




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