The FINANCIAL — The State Property Fund former chairperson, Valentyna Semeniuk-Samsonenko, has denied having plans to leave the Socialist Party of Ukraine and to nominate herself for presidential candidate.
Semeniuk-Samsonenko presented her stance on the matters during the second phase of the 15th congress of the party.
"I can tell you positively one thing: there will be no farce concerning what many people have said – my leaving the party and going somewhere else, about a sort of self-nomination – I can tell this won’t happen ever," she said.
Semeniuk-Samsonenko said the consideration of two candidacies for presidential candidate from the party – Socialist Party Leader Oleksandr Moroz and Semeniuk-Samsonenko – by the congress delegates indicates the democratic character of the party.
She said she requested the delegates to the first phase of the 15th congress to cancel a decision endorsed by the 14th congress on nominating her for presidential candidate, because she did not want the decision to hinder the progress in the negotiations between the party and Serhii Tihipko, the former governor of the National Bank of Ukraine, on possible support to him as a presidential candidate.
"In order not to hinder the negotiations, not to do any split in the party, I … demanded that the congress cancel the decision [on nomination of her for presidential candidate]," she said.
Meantime, Semeniuk-Samsonenko gave a positive assessment to the fact of the withdrawal of the party from the negotiations with Tihipko.
"I am glad that the political council and all participants in the negotiations with Mr. Tihipko did not sign the agreement with him, because this would be disgrace. First, the candidacy of Semeniuk-Samsonenko is nominated, then negotiations with communists, and finally the negotiations with Tihipko," she said.
Semeniuk-Samsonenko said the unity of the Socialist Party of Ukraine is dear to her.
She pledged of observing any decision of the party congress.
As Ukrainian News earlier reported, the Socialist Party of Ukraine at its congress on October 25 considered two candidacies for the presidential candidate from the party – Oleksandr Moroz and Valentyna Semeniuk-Samsonenko. The congress chose Moroz for the presidential candidate from the party.
Earlier, the political council of the Socialist Party of Ukraine recommended the party congress delegates to support Serhii Tihipko for the president of Ukraine. However, the Socialist Party of Ukraine has withdrawn from the process of negotiations on the support to Tihipko.
In early 2008, the delegates to the 14th special congress of the Socialist Party of Ukraine decided to nominate Valentyna Semeniuk-Samsonenko. However, on October 12, 2009, the party canceled the decision during the 15th congress.
The Verkhovna Rada has set the first tour of the presidential elections for 17 January 2010.
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