MOSCOW, September 23 (RIA Novosti political commentator Peter Lavelle). For Viktor Yushchenko's nominee, Yury Yekhanurov, to be confirmed as Ukraine's prime minister on Thursday, he made the following political concessions and institutional changes.
1. Viktor Yushchenko and his former opponent for the presidency Viktor Yanukovych, head of the Regions of Ukraine political party, agreed to a "non-aggression" pact that weakens the anti-Yushchenko opposition and puts political forces supporting former Prime Minister Yuliya Tymoshenko on the defensive.
2. Vitalii Khomutynnyk from the Regions party told media Yushchenko had promised not to pursue any political persecution of his opponents and would refrain from any steps aimed at the repeat privatization of enterprises, as well as not to support the opening of criminal cases related to the 2004 presidential elections.
3. For this "non-aggression" pact, the Regions' will receive in return the establishment of a new and powerful position of deputy prime minister for inter-regional affairs, to be taken by a Regions faction nominee.
4. Neither former Economy Minister Serhiy Teriokhin nor Deputy Prime Minister/Minister of Culture Mykola Tomenko will hold portfolios in the new government. Teriokhin was the leading voice in the Tymoshenko Cabinet against stronger economic cooperation with Russia under the umbrella of the Common Economic Space (the proposed Russia-centric economic zone comprising some former Soviet states). Teriokhin is widely seen as a strong Tymoshenko ally.
5. Before parliament's vote on Yekhanurov's candidacy, Yushchenko signed a directive strengthening the Presidential Secretariat, with powers being transferred to that office of powers that were formerly held by the National Security and Defense Council formerly headed by the president's ally and "oligarch" Petro Poroshenko.
6. The position of first assistant to the president, held by the controversial and accused of corruption Oleksandr Tretyakov, was abolished. The convention wisdom is that Tretyakov will not return to government any time soon.
7. Yushchenko established the post of Head of the Presidential Secretariat, abolishing the post of State Secretary - formerly headed by Oleksandr Zynchenko, the politician who first claimed that corruption was rife within Yushchenko's inner circle.
