Zelensky chose the latter and followed the path of strengthening personal power. Today, the executive branch represented by the Office of the President is employing the NSDC (National Security and Defense Council) to control of all other branches of government in the country. The president’s party has an absolute majority in the Verkhovna Rada, which provides the president with control over the legislative branch of government. Since the parliament forms the government, it also controls the Cabinet of Ministers.
A certain problem for the president was the independence of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine. But in the end, he solved it: Zelensky issued a decree that supervened his predecessor’s on the appointment of two judges of the Constitutional Court, and one of them was the Chairman of the Court. Ukrainian law does not provide for such a way of dismissing a judge. It is as though President Joe Biden overturned the decisions on the appointment of two U.S. Supreme Court justices nominated by Donald Trump to alter the balance of power in the Court in favor of liberal-minded judges. As a result, the Constitutional Court of Ukraine is stymied.
Similarly, Zelensky began to battle the political opposition. The decisions of the National Security and Defense Council—put into effect by presidential decrees—imposed sanctions against a number of Ukrainian individuals and legal entities. It was done ignoring the direct constitutional prohibition to impose sanctions against Ukrainian citizens. These sanctions involve the extrajudicial seizure of property without any evidence of illegal activities of the relevant individuals and legal entities. Three Ukrainian TV channels were among those sanctioned. The proof that we are talking about a politically motivated illegal decision is that when the journalists of these channels created a new one, it was disconnected from broadcasting just an hour after the start, this time without any presidential decrees.
The policy of Zelensky is destructive for the country not only because he is concentrating power in his hands ignoring the law—thereby destroying those very modest achievements in democratic development that once existed in Ukraine—but also because it undermines the foundations of civil harmony. Zelensky will likely need to rely increasingly on the forceful suppression of all resistance and dissidence.
The religious policy of the state is also divisive and aimed at providing benefits to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) created in 2018 by Poroshenko and Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople. At the same time, pressure is being exerted on on the Ukrainian Orthodox Church—the largest of the Ukrainian confessions—to the extent of condoning the hostile takeover of churches and the beating of priests and church members.
All of that could be said of Franklin Roosevelt during World War II.
Countries at war often become intolerant of serious political opposition.
MarMema: "A certain problem for the president was the independence of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine."
Franklin Roosevelt also waged war against the US Supreme Court, as does our Democrat Party to this very day.
Yes, FDR lost his battle against SCOTUS, but it was a close call, and Democrats today carry-on FDR's war against justice.
MarMema: "These sanctions involve the extrajudicial seizure of property without any evidence of illegal activities of the relevant individuals and legal entities.
Three Ukrainian TV channels were among those sanctioned."
And Franklin Roosevelt famously interred hundreds of thousands of Japanese civilians in American concentration camps.
Sh*t happens when countries are at war for their survival.
And while you're carping and complaining about Ukraine, what, exactly is going on inside Russia?
MarMema: "The policy of Zelensky is destructive for the country not only because he is concentrating power in his hands ignoring the law—thereby destroying those very modest achievements in democratic development that once existed in Ukraine—but also because it undermines the foundations of civil harmony.
Zelensky will likely need to rely increasingly on the forceful suppression of all resistance and dissidence."
But first and foremost, above all else, Zelensky must win his war or there will be no democracy or dissidence in Ukraine under Russian jack-boots!
How utterly insane do you have to be to think that Russian rule over Ukraine is better than Ukrainian self-government?
MarMema: "At the same time, pressure is being exerted on on the Ukrainian Orthodox Church—the largest of the Ukrainian confessions—to the extent of condoning the hostile takeover of churches and the beating of priests and church members."
My understanding is that Ukrainian actions are directed at alleged Russian agents in the Russian Orthodox church.
So, perhaps there are Russian agents also in the Ukrainian church?
Bottom line: I think it's fine for you to carp and complain about failures in Ukrainian democracy.
But only a stark raving lunatic -- or Vlad the Pute, but I repeat myself -- would wish a Russian victory and conquest of independent Ukraine.
Are you as luny as Putey?