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Pro-Russian parties form new governing coalition in Ukraine
AFP via Yahoo! News ^ | July 7, 2006 | Yana Dlugy

Posted on 07/07/2006 12:56:19 PM PDT by lizol

Pro-Russian parties form new governing coalition in Ukraine

by Yana Dlugy

KIEV (AFP) - Ukraine's pro-Russian parties formed a new governing coalition in a stunning move that promises to slow the pro-Western course taken by the ex-Soviet nation after the "orange revolution."

In front of reporters in parliament, the Regions Party and the Communists signed a coalition agreement with the Socialists, who in a surprise move had defected from the pro-Western "orange" camp the previous day.

The coalition said it was open to other parties.

"We're not closing the doors," said Viktor Yanukovych, the leader of Regions. "They are open for other parties or groups of deputies."

The trio, which controls 240 seats in the 450-member Upper Rada legislature, said it would nominate as its prime minister Yanukovych, who lost the bitterly-contested "orange revolution" election contest to President Viktor Yushchenko in late 2004.

The coalition said it would forward Yanukovych's nomination to the president later on Friday, after which Yushchenko will have 15 days to submit it to parliament for confirmation, and would move quickly to form a new cabinet.

It was not clear whether Yushchenko's Our Ukraine party would join the new union to form a so-called "wide coalition" that would unite both pro-Western and pro-Russian forces.

Analysts say a wide coalition would slow Kiev's aim to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization ( NATO), but would not affect the drive toward membership of the European Union (EU) and would provide stability to push through economic reforms.

In a televised interview, Yushchenko said that he did not see Our Ukraine in the role of the opposition, saying its absence from power would "lead to a serious revision of policies."

In earlier remarks to reporters, Yushchenko said a wide coalition would be the best option, but admitted that a new majority could exclude his party.

"It's not out of the question that we could have a situation where the courses of the president and the parliamentary majority differ," a gloomy Yushchenko told reporters.

"I would really like to avoid such a scenario," he said.

The third member of the "orange" coalition, Yulia Tymoshenko's bloc, has ruled out joining a coalition that includes Regions, warning that it would lead to a return of the widespread corruption that marked the regime swept aside by the "orange revolution."

"A wide coalition is a wide grave for democracy and Ukraine's sovereignty," she said in a late-night political talk show.

"We will either be in opposition or, if the constitution allows... we'll support the holding of new elections," she said.

Yushchenko warned that if a new government is not formed by the end of July he could dissolve government and call new elections.

The "orange" coalition was sent into a tailspin late Thursday ballot that in a surprise move saw its smallest faction, the Socialists, join with pro-Russian parties to elect its leader Olexander Moroz as speaker.

Moroz said he decided to switch sides because the "orange" team's choices for top government posts were political rivals and that the union was bound to be short-lived.

Critics said Moroz made the move in order to grab the speakership.

The March 26 parliamentary election did not hand any one party enough seats in the legislature to form a government alone.

At present, Regions has 186 seats, Tymoshenko's bloc 129 seats, Our Ukraine 81 seats, the Socialists 33 seats and the Communists 21 seats.


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events; Russia
KEYWORDS: orange; russia; tymoshenko; ukraine; yanukovich; yushchenko
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To: Tailgunner Joe
I would rather they vote for a pro-USA nationalist than a servant of muslim oligarchs like Yanukovych.

Is Yanukovych a Muslim? Anyway, it is strange time when the cause of USA nationalism is fought for in the remote steppes of the Ukraine while the southern border is kept open.

21 posted on 07/09/2006 12:22:56 PM PDT by A. Pole (Solzhenitsyn:"Live Not By Lies" www.columbia.edu/cu/augustine/arch/solzhenitsyn/livenotbylies.html)
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To: A. Pole
Ukraine's richest man and Yanukovych's main backer is a muslim. Look it up. You don't like muslims and oligarchs screwing over the Russian people but for some reason you don't mind them raping the Ukrainians. I side with Ukrainian nationalists whose loyalty is to their own country rather than to their large hostile neighbor to the east. Ukraine has earned America's friendship fighting by our side in Iraq while Russia continues to help Iranian-backed insurgents kill our troops. America will not allow Russia to bring back the EVIL EMPIRE to life regardless of how much its collapse saddens KGB alumni.
22 posted on 07/09/2006 12:28:24 PM PDT by Tailgunner Joe
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To: Tailgunner Joe
Ukraine has earned America's friendship fighting by our side in Iraq

Ukrainian troops were sent there by Kuchma/Yanukovych team BEFORE Orange revolution.

23 posted on 07/09/2006 12:33:23 PM PDT by A. Pole (Solzhenitsyn:"Live Not By Lies" www.columbia.edu/cu/augustine/arch/solzhenitsyn/livenotbylies.html)
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To: A. Pole

Kuchma only did so to save face after getting caught shipping military equipment to Saddam. His government was also heavily implicated in the UN Oil for Food scam. I for one will continue to support Ukraine against revanchist Russian aggression even if I don't support their leader. I won't condemn the Ukrainians to imperialist Russian slavery just because a pro-Russian is in charge. I will simply oppose Yanukovych's attempts to serve a foreign agenda at his own coutry's expense.


24 posted on 07/09/2006 12:43:42 PM PDT by Tailgunner Joe
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To: Tailgunner Joe
Kuchma only did so to save face after getting caught shipping military equipment to Saddam.

Do you give credit to the Orange side what the pro-Russian side did "to save face after getting caught"? Hmm.

25 posted on 07/09/2006 12:51:47 PM PDT by A. Pole (Solzhenitsyn:"Live Not By Lies" www.columbia.edu/cu/augustine/arch/solzhenitsyn/livenotbylies.html)
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To: A. Pole
I give credit to those Ukrainian soldiers who served with the US in Iraq. We won't turn our backs on them. Why would we? Why would we ever betray our ally in favor of an enemy who supports all of America's communist and islamic terrorist foes all over the world from the Ayatollahs to Kim-Jong-Il? It is the Ukrainian people I support, not Orange or Blue. I will continue to support Ukrainian nationalism against Russia's "multicultural" neo-imperialism, regardless of which side wins in Ukraine.
26 posted on 07/09/2006 12:58:13 PM PDT by Tailgunner Joe
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To: Tailgunner Joe
I give credit to those Ukrainian soldiers who served with the US in Iraq.

Soldiers do not make such decisions they obey orders or perhaps they volunteer when offered lucrative (in their economic situation) bonuses.

Decisions are made by the governments and governments deserves credit or blame.

27 posted on 07/09/2006 1:01:36 PM PDT by A. Pole (Solzhenitsyn:"Live Not By Lies" www.columbia.edu/cu/augustine/arch/solzhenitsyn/livenotbylies.html)
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To: A. Pole

Exactly. I won't blame them if their leaders are crooks in the pay of muslims who serve foreign interests against their own country.


28 posted on 07/09/2006 1:05:22 PM PDT by Tailgunner Joe
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To: A. Pole
Likewise I won't blame the Russian people just because they are led by a proud Chekist who arms Red China, the Ayatollahs and Hugo Chavez. I will continue to love the Russian people and try to help free them from their oppressive neo-Soviet socialist government.
29 posted on 07/09/2006 1:08:24 PM PDT by Tailgunner Joe
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To: Tailgunner Joe
Just remember that the recent fall of the Orange coalition was caused by their greed of power and intolerance - if they did not try to exclude the largest parliament faction from EVERY committee, the Oranges would still be in power.

Here is the newest Russian TV clip showing angry pretty Julia:

http://www-download.1tv.ru/video/2006_07/0907062102.asf

30 posted on 07/09/2006 1:09:26 PM PDT by A. Pole (Solzhenitsyn:"Live Not By Lies" www.columbia.edu/cu/augustine/arch/solzhenitsyn/livenotbylies.html)
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To: A. Pole
The Orange coalition's breakup had nothing to do with Yanukovych. It was due to the same Timoshenko-Poroshenko feud as before. A grand Regions-NashaUkraine coalition would be inherently unstable and would probably collapse even quicker than the oranges.

Just remember that Yanukovych has a majority -- just so long as he enjoys the support of all the communists and socialists in Ukraine.

31 posted on 07/09/2006 1:22:34 PM PDT by Tailgunner Joe
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To: A. Pole
"Dirt" is if you smoked weed or hired a hooker some years ago. Robbery, assault and rape makes Yanukovich dirt and filth. His fat swine face and vulgar speech is more revolting.

Being more general, it's mindboggling how Russians don't have simply NORMAL allies- they're all dictators, communists and criminals, and i'm not being dramatic or exaggerating- it's the truth.
32 posted on 07/09/2006 2:52:04 PM PDT by Mazepa
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To: A. Pole

Yulia has more class than all the Regionals, Socialists and Russian katsap commentators put combined.


33 posted on 07/09/2006 2:56:50 PM PDT by Mazepa
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To: Mazepa
Yulia has more class than all the Regionals, Socialists and Russian katsap commentators put combined.

One thing for sure, she is prettier than all of them together. And she is richer than Teresa Heinz Kerry :)

34 posted on 07/09/2006 6:31:03 PM PDT by A. Pole (Solzhenitsyn:"Live Not By Lies" www.columbia.edu/cu/augustine/arch/solzhenitsyn/livenotbylies.html)
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To: Mazepa

"what a nightmare. Geez"
Relax - the Kremlin does not have enough money to buy the votes needed to pass the Constitutional Court legislation AND nominate a PM before the deadline.

Yushchenko will be in control come August.

This is his revenge for the fast one Kuchma pulled .


35 posted on 07/09/2006 7:00:34 PM PDT by spanalot
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To: lizol
Putin continues attempting to bully together his own version of a new even more dangerous Soviet Union controlled by him and his Kremlin KGB henchmen.

How Putin has remade the media to suit his needs

The high-tech version of Putin's neo-Soviet Union

Kremlin ignores democracy to snatch oil from the wilderness

36 posted on 07/10/2006 12:45:23 AM PDT by M. Espinola (Freedom is never free)
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To: A. Pole
'Anti-crisis coalition' will work towards Ukraine's admission to EU
Kyiv, July 14 (Interfax-Ukraine) - The foreign policy objectives of the 'anti-crisis coalition' are Ukraine's full membership in the European Union and the completion of the creation of the Common Economic Space.

The objectives are named in the coalition agreement of the Party of Regions, the Communists and the Socialist party published on Friday.

A decision on NATO accession would be made only after a nation-wide referendum, the agreement says.

The coalition is determined to promote the advancement of relations of equality and neighborliness with Russia and other nearby countries.

37 posted on 07/14/2006 3:19:32 PM PDT by Tailgunner Joe
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