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can backfire, however. In general, Ukrainians don’t like the idea of any one person having too much power, as demonstrated in the 2014 parliamentary elections. That’s when the public voted for The People’s Front party, led by former PM Arseniy Yatsenyuk, as a buffer against former President Poroshenko and his party (which proved effective). So if the rival parties play their cards right and select effective campaign themes and methods, they can boost their results among Ukrainians skeptical of Zelenskiy, and especially the influence of billionaire Ihor Kolomoisky,” Zenon Zawada of Concorde Capital said in a note.
2.3 Politics - misc
Ukraine’s relations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) remain on track and will continue after the parliamentary elections, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on May 28. Investors were slightly spooked after Ukrainian oligarch and the president’s sponsor Ihor Kolomoisky suggested Ukraine should default on its IMF debt. The IMF is ready to discuss further cooperation with Ukraine after the nation's snap parliamentary elections scheduled for July, head of the IMF's mission Ron van Roden told President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on May 28.
The new Ukrainian leadership wants to start talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to negotiate a new programme after parliamentary elections, Oleh Ustenko, a presidential advisor for macroeconomic policy, believes. "After the elections to the parliament, I think it is possible to open a new program. I suppose that in June-August the negotiation process will start on either opening a new programme or revising the old programme," Ustenko said in an interview with news agency Interfax on May 20, adding that he admits the possibility of extending and revising the parameters of the current funding programme. "I have two scenarios for the development of events: the programme will be closed and a new one will be launched, the second one: they will revise the parameters of the current one and extend it. However, the first one is the main one," Ustenko said. In 2018, the Fund approved a 14- month $3.9bn Stand-By Arrangement (SBA) for Ukraine. The programme replaced a $17.5bn Extended Fund Facility (EFF) agreed with Kyiv in 2015. The National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) expects to obtain from the IMF two tranches of $1.3bn each by the end of 2019. Reportedly Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskiy wants to return Ukraine to the more agreeable and longer term EFF from the current SBA after Ukraine’s deal was downgraded for foot- dragging on the implementation of reforms. Some Kyiv-based experts believe that Ukraine would receive the second tranche under the stand-by programme this summer. The third tranche is much less likely. However, some issues have surfaced in recent months that the IMF might require addressing, Specifically, February's cancellation by Ukrainian Constitutional Court of the criminal responsibility for illicit enrichment of the country's officials, following a meeting with IMF officials this week. At the top of that, the IMF might be concerned about the risk that Ukraine President-elect Volodymyr Zelenskiy is trying to undermine the independence of Ukraine’s central bank.
Yuriy Lutsenko, Ukrainian Prosecutor General, is going to remain in his post until after the early parliamentary elections, scheduled for July 21. "I made this decision believing that my task, together with my colleagues in law enforcement, is to organize not only honest presidential, but also parliamentary elections," he said in a televised talk show on May 27. "Afterwards, I will go
16 UKRAINE Country Report June 2019 www.intellinews.com