Ruslan Senichkin: – Viktor Fedorovich, good evening!

Viktor Yanukovych: – Good evening, Ruslan!

- Viktor Fedorovich, tell us, please, do you consider that you and your political force have lost to date? How do you assess the election results for the Party of Regions?

- I would like to begin with saying that we had been performing well for 5 months of 2006. Here is a small chart that I have prepared. For these 5 months, from August until December in 2006, we had been working, I dare say, well and we are ready to account and we are accounting for the period of my Government work.

In 2007 we worked normally for three months – January, February and March. In fact, since April not only the Party of Regions but, in my opinion, the entire country has experienced black days, when we were to live in environment of unstable political situation.

As for the election results, there is no doubt that we won these elections as we got more than 34% and received bigger support from the people. But it turned out to be not enough to create a coalition and as a result the 'orange' coalition has been formed. Rightly or not – it is a matter of time.

We will see how this team, which by the way had been in power for 8 months in 2005, will prove itself this time. I have already told that our actions would be adequate to the authorities actions.

As regards economic performance, we as the coalition leaders state that we have yield results. We can not be satisfied with the results of our work completely but I think that we once again verified our vigour and found out a great potential which is capable to work effectively for the country. Despite the fact that actually since April of the last year we were hindered to operate and we worked in a blockade: the Parliament did not function, the President kept monitoring the Government actions and canceled every one or another decision.

Thus it was difficult to work in a destabilized state of affairs. But even more so, we got a positive result although it could be much better.

What are we going to do now? We are going to introduce to the society a program which we have elaborated in our Reform Committee. Besides, we will suggest it to the Government. It is not an obscure 'breach', but a practical reforms program drawn up by our high-qualified experts. I would say that first-class specialists worked on the program which, however, could not be presented in April, and later there was no point because of impossibility to launch these reforms, to implement this program. Secondly, we are going to propose amendments to the Constitution, which, in our opinion will considerably impact decentralization of power, creation of conditions for our country's growth, and raising a level of authorities responsibility for its people.

- Your political force has formed the so-called shadow, opposition Cabinet of Ministers. What first steps will it take?

- Foremost, we should originate, I would say, an institute of opposition in the state. Generally the opposition should have obligations to the society and to the state and implement them on a high level. That is, we upgrade the opposition and in fact create a mechanism of control over the operating power. Our actions will considerably depend on how the Government will perform together with the President and the parliamentary coalition. If their actions are destructive, if they do not, in our view, meet interests of the country and the people, we will react toughly.

- How exactly?

- There are plenty of various means according to circumstances. For example, if you examine the first steps of the new executive power, you will see that in fact lustrations among officials have begun again as it was in 2005 – the adherents of Yanukovych have been discharged on political basis. Actually it is a political pursuit of people. And I consider that today we should warn the power to treat this thoughtfully.

Above all, first-class specialists who have been prepared by the state must not be thoughtlessly dismissed from all levels of power – from Ministries, from Departments, from the Cabinet of Ministers, and at the local level – from regional, district state administrations. This must not be allowed.

People should not be fired on the grounds of their political views and tastes. I believe that the authorities should draw conclusions from those terrible days of 2005 which Ukraine had to experience. Those authorities came back to power once again and are making only first steps.

I would also like to caution against property redistribution, the so-called reprivatization. It cannot be committed in any case because it will immediately push investors away from Ukraine, and it will be adverse to the economy growth.

- And what measures will your political force undertake if actions of the present power do not favour you?

- Statutory ones. You know that we observe the law, but I have recently heard a remark, by the way, from my friends. They told that I was trying to play chess with my opponents, and my opponents took the chess-board and hit me on the head with it. Therefore we will definitely pay attention to it but we consider that any radical actions have never benefited the state. We have always opposed radical actions. And as for tough actions specified in the law, we will undertake them if it is necessary.

- Will actions of protest take place?

- Certainly, actions of protest as well as other ones may happen.

- Your Government has written the 2008 Budget project. Now certain corrections will be made by the new Cabinet of Ministers. Will you and your political force vote for the 2008 budget?

- I would like to finish the first question put by you. Forming of the opposition will last constantly and the opposition government which we have currently created, will certainly be replenished with people who will join the opposition both from parliamentary parties and from non-parliamentary. These will include public organizations representatives as well. Therefore we will pursue the path of forming the unified opposition. And these steps we will undertake in the nearest future.

- Such aims could be achieved only being in power. One has to come to power to implement them. Do you and your political force conduct some negotiations with the 'NU-NS' ('Our Ukraine') block, or with the Secretariat of the President about forming a broad coalition or any other coalition within another format?

- No, I consider that all negotiations have been already terminated, the coalition has been formed in the Parliament and has been already working. And, unfortunately, this coalition is non-viable. Foremost, because it has an advantage of one or two voices in the Parliament. How will it work? I do not envy neither the Government nor this coalition currently. It will be very difficult to do.

But I want to say that we will not pose obstacles for this coalition work if it introduces practicable way for the country's development, and if there are practical steps instead of so high-flown populist slogans.

- How long will Tymoshenko's Government remain in power in your opinion?

- I do not want to guess at this, I just want to say that the practice which is introduced in Ukraine to change governments annually since the first year of independence, for sure, has adverse impact on people's lives. And the system of power should be established in such a way so that it would provide stability for the authorities work. Then the country will obtain stability as well. I would like to emphasize it, that is why we will suggest changes and, I will say, substantial changes to the Constitution.

- Tell us, please, are another pre-term parliamentary elections are possible?

- Everything is possible, everything will depend, I say once again, on how the power will act. If it works efficiently, nobody will hinder it, and let it work as long, like the saying goes, as many ages God has granted. But if it works inefficiently, if we see that it is not able to work otherwise, there will be only one scenario. Because it is impossible to form a coalition of another format in this Parliament.

That is, in fact we know that it will be impossible. Deputies are aware of it as well. Although I have spent there a few days, I see that the most Deputies are nevertheless thoughtful. There are some radicals, but they have always been there.

- And for how long the Party of Regions could remain in opposition taking into account a number of businessmen in your political force? Staying in opposition rather than in power is very unlikely for businessmen indeed.

- The point is that business is connected with power in no way. My Government had been working for a year and 4,5 months, and we did not divide, we did not ask to show a party-membership card to find out of which political force you are. Business is run, and let it be run for benefit of its owners, of the country, of people. Let it pay taxes at a due date, invest in Ukraine, prevent spreading corruption. Therefore demands for business, I believe, under any kind of power, of any colour, have been always the same, business should work for the country's economy. While the power should protect business interests in accordance to existing laws and, certainly, through actions, if it concerns exporters.

And it does not matter which political force puts profit into the state treasury. Eventually, we should not look for enemies in our own state, we all live on one earth. And everybody should search for opportunities how to strengthen our state and how to improve our people's lives. And, by the way, the opposition actions should also be focused on it and we are inclined to it indeed.

- And the last question, how you are going to celebrate Christmas and New Year?

- As usual, at home with family, with sons, with daughter-in-law, with grandchildren...
I suppose that our relatives-in-law will come or we will visit them.

- Have you prepared any gifts already?

- There are some! Our gifts are always symbolic. We know who likes what, as they say, who has what hobby. My grandson has already prepared a present for me. He told me by phone that he had already created a hand-made gift for me.

- Happy New Year and thank you for an interview.

- Thank you, and Happy New Year.