“Those in power think that they are buying time, but the conflicts remain unresolved. With every new anti-popular decision from Yanukovych will make it easier for those in his circle to make deals among themselves and surrender him. Yanukovych’s circle wants to get the most out of his defeat,” Nebozhenko claims.
“Yanukovych now believes that he controls any moves of his circle. In reality, they are going to surrender him for immunity for themselves,” he adds.
According to political expert Vadym Karasiov, the government is playing on time to “figure out how much the Maidan is now in control of initiative.”
“Society won on the night of December 11: it prevented a forced dispersal of Maidan. Now, both the government and opposition have that to work with. However, the government has not yet developed an entire package of proposals. It is torn by the struggle of force versus dialogue,” Karasiov claims.
The Maidan will continue until it fulfills its role, whether before New Year or after it, he concludes.
“It can turn into election platforms; it can vanish if the Rada adopts legal guarantees of Ukraine’s European course. But one thing should be in mind: this is an ongoing factor that erupts whenever the government fails to meet general national interests forcing the people to do that,” Karasiov adds.
Viktor Nebozhenko, too, expects the protest to last until the problems are solved. “People will get wary and go home, but they will take to the streets again once they face unresolved problems. As a political expert, I claim that the Maidan is an invention of Ukrainians – it will always exist, under any president,” Nebozhenko concludes.
