He knows that anything that takes election power away from his appointed oblast governors lessens his powers too. Understanding the need for a balance of power between the executive and the legislature has never been one of Leonid Kuchma s strong points. The election law is a matter that needs to be settled soon. Until this happens, both the president and the Rada will remain engaged in fierce infighting on this one issue to the exclusion of so much else that needs to get done. Democracy is not about market reform and all the other things that the West promotes as worthy goals for Ukraine and to which this president gives at least strong lip service.
Democracy is about a system that accurately reflects the views and desires of the electorate.
No electoral system is perfect. However, the all-proportional system seems immensely more desirable than an exclusively geographical system. Adoption of the proportional system would make elections less subject to manipulation by the president and his regional barons. That alone should makes this system more fair.