Poroshenko, a confectionery billionaire who is one of two leading candidates in a May 25 election, said Ukrainians had earned the right to a path to membership in the EU after the revolt that threw off president Viktor Yanukovich. But in an interview with Reuters he also said he would not seek to join the NATO Western military alliance, a move he said would risk dividing the country while Russian troops are massed on its frontier.
After the ousting of Yanukovich, the killings of more than 100 protesters and Russia's seizure of Crimea, people will demand a radical shift by future leaders away from the sleaze and malpractice of the past, said Poroshenko, 48. "A new country was born and a new people was born," Poroshenko, a strong-built man with a shock of greying hair, told Reuters in Kiev, striking the table for emphasis. "If the president, the government and the parliament do not demonstrate a different style and show that we live in different conditions, people after half a year, nine months, will say 'OK' and withdraw their support," he said. "They (the future leaders) should know why 104 people gave their lives."
The May 25 election will be a first step by the interim leadership to get Ukraine back on its feet after four months of turbulence and confrontation with Russia that has traumatized the country and highlighted old east-west divisions. Poroshenko, known as the "Chocolate King" for the chain of confectionery shops that earned his fortune, is an experienced politician who held a variety of portfolios, including economy minister and foreign minister, under both pro-Western and Moscow-backed administrations. He will be up against flamboyant former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, who has a strong core following but is a divisive figure whose many foes could rally around Poroshenko.
Poroshenko's chances improved with the endorsement of heavyweight boxer Vitaly Klitschko, a leader of the anti-Yanukovich movement who bowed out of the presidential race in his favor. But his wealth could help Tymoshenko campaign against him as an "oligarch". Seated in the Kiev offices of his foundation in front of the national flag and the blue and gold-starred European Union banner, Poroshenko spoke of the need to modernize Ukraine to take advantage of a "unique situation" in which there was real support for integration with the European mainstream. A vital part of this modernization, he said, was getting rid of systemic corruption which blights all spheres of life including the economy, and deters foreign investment.
After a values-driven people's revolution against sleaze and state theft under Yanukovich, people will be tough on the new elected leaders and will have little tolerance if they slip back into old corrupt habits, he said. Corruption mainly takes the form of bribe-taking to ensure public services and penetrates all levels of life including the police, the health service and the education system. Running any business in Ukraine requires paying to ensure operating licenses are delivered by local and national authorities.
"ZERO-TOLERANCE" FOR CORRUPTION
