Mykola Tomenko: The Promise of Viktor Yanukovych, Candidate for Presidency, concerning 50 million Ukrainian Citizens in 2020 can be considered an Election Joke
Mykola Tomenko, Vice-Chairman of The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, commented upon the election program of Viktor Yanukovych, candidate for presidency, and recommended that he be cautious handling the figures.
"It is difficult to understand scientific and rational grounds of a great many figures. Thus, while the objective of becoming one of the 20 most powerful States is attractive, although rationally ungrounded, then the figure of 50 million people as the population of Ukraine in 10 years requires extra explanation", - believes M.Tomenko.
The Vice-Chairman of The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine informed that the population of Ukraine totaled 46 million people as of September 2009. For the recent years, the birth rate has been growing, however, the death rate remains rather high.
According to M.Tomenko, predicting the enhancement of demographic data and superactive State policy in the said issue, the population of Ukraine will total 45 million people in 10 years, being the most optimistic forecast.
However, the Vice-Chairman stated that "the idea of increasing the population rapidly is not brand new. Such ideas characterized the activity of various orthodox religious organizations that were concerned with the loss of nation´s religious purity and obliged the community members to have at least five children".
"There is also another way of increasing the population rapidly, i.e. the so-called way of migration. The country opens the borders for immigrants. However, Ukrainian society will hardly support the idea of making Ukraine a refuge for the immigrants of the developing countries and CIS member-States", - stated the Vice-Chairman.
"Thus, considering all the possible ways of implementing the election promise concerning 50 million citizens of Ukraine till 2020, let us regard this a political joke rather than reality", - stated Mykola Tomenko.