Political Opposition Against Poroshenko is Rising – German Media

The current Ukrainian President has not managed to separate politics from business. Now he is facing not only a confrontation with radical groups, but also criticism in his own government, Ukrainian columnist Sergei Rudenko wrote in Deutsche Welle.

Political opposition against Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko is rising, Ukrainian political commentator Sergei Rudenko wrote in Deutsche Welle.

"In addition to ‘Svoboda’ members and radicals, it [the opposition] may include the Right Sector, oligarchs dissatisfied with the actions of the President, and even Poroshenko’s inner circle," he argued.

Right-wing political forces started the confrontation with the President long time ago, the journalist said. Member of the nationalist party ‘Svoboda’ opposed new amendments to the Constitution providing for decentralization and granting more autonomy to the eastern regions.

Rudenko believes that such a situation may be quite dangerous for Poroshenko. Its reminiscent of the conflict between Yanukovych and the Maidan protesters, but its results may potentially be much more dangerous, the journalist claims.

The analyst argues that the conflict between the President and Ukrainian oligarchs is also inevitable, citing as an example the relationship between Poroshenko and multibillionaire Ihor Kolomoisky.

The president still claims to be the "Oligarch №1" in Ukraine, despite of his promises to start deoligarchization of the country. According to the journalist, the situation is complicated by competition among representatives of the President’s inner circle and their attempts to redistribute spheres of influence.

"Unfortunately, the current President and his team have not managed to separate politics from business," the journalist concluded.