"The present [unitary] system does not meet European democratic principles. The second stage of the constitutional reform implies cardinal regional reforms," Mr. Kushnarev said at a RIA Novosti press conference.
The Kharkov governor is one of Ukrainian politicians calling for the federative reform of the country.
"On the second stage the regional system can be limited to the Polish or French model, i.e. the enlargement of regions with economy and budgetary self-sufficiency with new authorities being the key criteria.
The governor positively assessed the recent constitutional changes, which became a compromise between all the Ukrainian political elites. These changes stipulate the redistribution of presidential authorities in favor of the parliament and government.
"If the reform had been adopted before the elections the campaigns would have been quite different, without arbitrariness, and society would not have been so morally injured," Yevgeny Kushnarev said.
He took an active part in the two forums in Severodonetsk and Kharkov when leaders of Ukraine's industrial eastern regions raised the question on the regional reform of the country.
According to Mr. Kushnarev, presidential candidates Viktor Yushchenko and Viktor Yanukovich will arrive in Kharkov on Friday as part of the election campaign.
Speaking about the possibility of the rivals' meeting, the governor said that this issue, in particular, TV debates, was theoretically considered. However, in Yevgeny Kushnarev's opinion, these debates should take place in Kiev.
The governor rules out an accidental meeting of the two candidates. "I guess the traffic police will settle these issues," he noted.
In his words, on December 22 Kharkov will host a conference of Russian, Ukrainian and Belarussian border regions. Such conferences have been held for 10 years already, Mr. Kushnarev said.
The conference will focus on the implementation of the Common Economic Space project, he reported.
