UKRAINIAN COMMUNISTS WANT TO OUST PREMIER, CHIEF BANKER. Communist Party Chairman Petro Symonenko on 3 June demanded that the parliament sack Prime Minister Valeriy Pustovoytenko and National Bank Chairman Viktor Yushchenko because of their efforts to privatize Sberbank, a state savings bank. Symonenko accused both of violating the law in privatizing Sberbank, arguing that the bank should first compensate Ukrainians for all the savings that have been lost owing to inflation since 1991. The parliament voted to schedule a debate on a possible no-confidence vote in Pustovoytenko and Yushchenko for 16 June. JM

KUCHMA TAKES CREDIT FOR NATIONAL STABILITY. Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma told journalists on 3 June that the creation of a stable society is one of the main achievements of his presidency, Interfax reported. " He admitted, however, that Ukraine has failed to make the economic progress "we had the right to expect." Also on 3 June, the Central Electoral Commission registered parliamentary speaker Oleksandr Tkachenko as the 18th candidate in the 31 October presidential elections. The day before, the group collecting signatures for President Leonid Kuchma announced that it has gathered 1.3 million. A presidential candidate needs to have 1 million signatures by 13 June in order to run in the election. JM

UKRAINE CRITICIZES CZECH INTENT TO ABOLISH VISA-FREE REGIME. Supreme Council Deputy Chairman Viktor Medvedchuk has said the Czech Republic's plans to introduce visa requirements for Ukrainians (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 1 June 1999) are not in line with the Czech leadership's declared intention to support Ukraine's EU bid. According to Medvedchuk, such actions contribute to strengthening the influence of leftist forces in Ukraine and other CIS states, Ukrainian Radio reported on 3 June. JM