Finance Minister Natalie Jaresko has thus far been quiet over her own political future, but I guess by these comments Jaresko is showing her own displeasure around political developments and now formally throwing her hat in the ring to be prime minister.
She is showing some fighting spirit – my guess is she has plenty.
Now this complicates things for Poroshenko as he knows that Jaresko is likely the favored candidate of Western donors.
Poroshenko has previously given lip service to demands for a technocratic cabinet.
Jaresko could head one, so is PP going to support Jaresko or not? The ball is now firmly in his court.
Jaresko’s timing was particularly notable given that the Nadiya Savchenko ruling came down today – and talk of Groysman being nominated, supported by the old oligarchic interests would have gone down very poorly with the EuroMaidan Revolution supporters and likely Western donors this week of all others.
Now Jaresko might struggle to win confirmation in the Verkhovna Rada, but I think if that happens she can then step aside knowing that she at least tried, making way for new faces in the reform camp.
It is interesting that in Ukraine, women tend to be very prominent political and policy players, and tend to get things done, while their male colleagues so often fail – note therein Savchenko, Jaresko, Valeria Gontareva and Yulia Tymoshenko.
