RIA Novosti - 10.10.2006

Yushchenko, Yanukovych agree to work on broad coalition

KIEV - Ukraine's Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych said Tuesday he has agreed with President Viktor Yushchenko to continue working on the formation of a broad parliamentary coalition. 

The pro-presidential bloc Our Ukraine and the ruling coalition comprising Yanukovych's pro-Russian Party of Regions, the Socialists, and the Communists were in talks for two months on the formation of a broad coalition of national unity. On October 5, however, Our Ukraine vowed to form a radical opposition and called on its ministers to quit the recently appointed pro-Russian coalition government. 

President Yushchenko then urged the political leaders "to return to a constructive dialogue" and to resume talks on forming a broad coalition. 

Yanukovych, Yushchenko's former rival in the 2004 election, told journalists after a meeting with the president Tuesday, "We have agreed to work on a broad coalition," he said. 

"Stabilizing the political situation is our common goal," Yanukovych said. "Politicians should seek compromises when national interests and important goals are at issue," he added. 

The mooted broad coalition would have a total of 321 seats in the 450-member Supreme Rada, consolidating the Party of Regions' 186, Our Ukraine's 81, the Socialists' 33, and the Communists' 21. 

The Our Ukraine bloc was part of the 'orange' coalition, which emerged after the inconclusive March parliamentary elections, along with the Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc, which won 129 seats, and the Socialists. 

The alliance collapsed when the Socialists defected to join the Party of Regions and the Communist Party to form an 'anti-crisis' coalition.

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BBC - 10.04.2006

Ukraine ministers 'will resign'

The party of Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko has said it will pull its ministers from the governing coalition, amid a rift with the prime minister. 

Mr Yushchenko's Our Ukraine bloc said it would join the opposition. 

Our Ukraine has three ministers in Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych's government, even though it is not formally part of the coalition. 

The move comes despite a pact signed between Mr Yushchenko and Mr Yanukovych only a few months ago. 

Relations between the two have been deteriorating, with the cabinet refusing to endorse presidential decrees, and the president rebuking the prime minister for contradicting his stance on foreign policy. 

Attempts to resolve their differences by negotiation were "finished", said Roman Bezsmertny, head of the Our Ukraine bloc in parliament. 

"The Our Ukraine party is going into opposition to the government and will propose to the president that he recall ministers who are members of this party," said party spokeswoman Tetiana Mokridi. 

Comeback 

Mr Yushchenko and Mr Yanukovych were bitter rivals during the 2004 presidential campaign, after which the former was swept to power by the Orange Revolution. 

But Mr Yanukovych bounced back in parliamentary elections this year, forcing Mr Yushchenko to appoint him prime minister. 

The two agreed a deal, which included having Our Ukraine ministers in the cabinet, including the foreign minister. 

However the governing coalition has the support in parliament to survive without the help of Our Ukraine.