Usurpation of power or a tidbit of the budget? What is behind the latest actions of the mayor of Lviv Andriy Sadovy

The mayor of Lvov, Andriy Sadovy, has headed the city for the fourth time. After the last elections, despite the politician’s personal success, his political force lost the majority in the City Council, and, accordingly, control over decision-making. However, it is not for nothing that Sadovy is considered a brilliant political strategist, a good diplomat and an experienced leader who can stand between two fires.

So, last summer, at the first meeting of the City Council after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the chairman of Lvov and the leader of Samopomich, Andrey Sadovy, grossly violated the regulations. During the consideration of a resolution prohibiting a loyal executive committee from spending money from the local budget uncontrollably, Sadovyi put it to a vote without discussion or report. Then the indignant deputies left the session hall right during the meeting. It should be noted that the meeting, like all subsequent ones, was held behind closed doors.

So neither journalists nor members of the public can get on them. And the notes are laid out after the meetings …

The head of the European Solidarity faction, Piotr Adamik, says that a number of deputies asked the mayor to open the meeting, but were refused. Sadovy explained his decision by concern for the safety of the deputies. And media lawyer of the Institute of Mass Communication Roman Golovenko believes that Lviv is far from the front, so this closeness raises new questions for local authorities.

And they arose … because of the loan that the city of Lviv decided to take during the war with the EBRD. In December 2022, the city council decided that a loan of 25 million euros should be taken as emergency financial assistance to ensure the functioning of the municipal infrastructure of the city during the military crisis (only the deputies of Varta and Golos did not support the decision). Auth.), and the decision was made.

However, already this year it has caused debate because of the condition to pay 35 million 400 thousand hryvnia from the local budget to service the loan agreement concluded between Lviv and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). And the Commission for Finance and Business Planning did not support the request of the Financial Policy Department of the Lviv City Council to allocate these funds. The Executive Committee of the Lviv City Council, in violation of all possible laws and by-laws, gave permission to take this loan.

Recall, according to Article 42 of the Law of Ukraine “On Local Self-Government”, for such actions of the executive committee, deputies must express no confidence in it and dissolve the executive committee of the Lviv City Council.

And a week ago there was, one might say, a putsch, when at an extraordinary session the deputies of the Lviv Regional Council decided to send its head, Irina Grimak, to resign. Her work was considered unsatisfactory. Then, at the initiative of a third of the people’s deputies, the procedure for the early termination of the powers of the chairman was launched.

“Sadovyi is currently collecting votes in the Lviv City Council so that the decision to cancel the decision of the executive committee does not gain the required number of votes. Voices in support of Andrei Ivanovich will be found in all factions of the Lviv City Council. But it will be very strange if, after Samopomich’s vote for Grimak’s resignation, European Solidarity now follows Sadovy’s lead and allows him, in violation of the law, to receive the desired loan,” - writes UNIAN.

In the meantime, “bidding” for the post of chairman of the Lviv regional parliament began. Formally, her duties are performed by the former deputy chairman of the regional council, Yevgeny Girnyk. However, among the politicians are already named future candidates in the head. This, in particular, is the deputy of the Lviv Regional Council from the “Voice” Rostyslav Dobosh. Which suggests the creation of a new political alliance between Samopomich and Golos.

“It looks like Golos in the Lviv City Council will also come out in support of the scandalous loan and will not support the decision to dissolve the executive committee. The voices of “Voices” for Dobosh in the Lviv Regional Council, oh, how they are needed, ” - write the media.

Thus, it can be assumed that Andriy Sadovy played a card for neutrality in the session hall of the Lviv City Council.

“The main thing for him now is not so much a coalition in his support as the opportunity to deprive the support of his opponents and to achieve the failure of the initiative to dissolve the executive committee,” - writes UNIAN.