Issue 1,
23 May 2006
The western world watches bemused as Orange forces near the final stages in delivering a workable coalition agreement. Despite the rhetoric and reports that the pro-Presidential bloc, Our Ukraine, withdrew from coalition talks, the leaders of BYUT and the Socialist Party remain upbeat that talks will continue and that a written coalition agreement will be finalised within days.
Yulia Tymoshenko, BYUT leader, said: “We have come so far in the past few weeks and are now much closer than we have been to creating a workable coalition. It would be ludicrous for us all to fall at the final hurdle and an insult to the people who deserve better.
“The President has it in his power to end the indecision, to agree a way forward that will deliver unity and enable us to focus on restoring not only the confidence of the people, but the many investors who will not commit themselves until there is political stability.”
Ukrainians want Our Ukraine, BYUT and Socialist Party Coalition
According to a poll, conducted between 27 April and 4 May, by the Democratic Initiatives Fund and Kiev International Institute of Sociology, 47.1% of Ukrainians would like to see an Our Ukraine, BYUT and Socialist Party coalition compared to 38.5% who back an Our Ukraine and Party of Regions coalition. 86.6% of Our Ukraine supporters favour the coalition of Orange forces compared with only 7.3% wanting a coalition with Viktor Yanukovych’s party.
The new parliament (Verkhovna Rada) will sit for the first time on May 25.
The Ukrainian Constitution states that the Rada must form a coalition within 30 days of the new parliament starting work, and appoint a new government in the following 30 days. If this timeframe is not met, the president may dissolve parliament and order new elections.
The first issue of BYUT Inform is also available in PDF by clicking here.
