Ukraine's Constitutional reforms stirs debate about Donbass autonomy
Lena Savchuk
Press TV, Kiev
Ukraine's ex-presidents, lawmakers, experts representing different regions of the country and international organizations have gathered in Kiev to work out changes to Ukraine’s Constitution.
The reforms, part of a ceasefire deal between Kiev and the militias in the east, are mainly focused on decentralizing power, giving more autonomy to the breakaway Donetsk and Luhansk regions also known as Donbass. But, federal authorities want to keep Ukraine as a united state with one official language and retain monopoly on foreign policy and defense.
The new Constitution with broad decentralization was the key point of the Minsk peace deal which should have glued the war torn country together again. But, there aren’t any people representing the Donbass region.
But the self-proclaimed republics now are more preoccupied with bread and butter issues like an economic blockade, absence of social payments and political dialogue with the center, which are also the requirements of their deal with Kiev. They say there will be no new elections until those issues are resolved.
Kiev says it is ready for a referendum on the federalization of Ukraine and estimates that over 90 percent of the population will choose a unitary state. But it is not clear whether that would satisfy eastern pro-Russians who do not recognize Kiev's rule.
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