[R-G] Ukraine's Coalition Splits Over Powers, Georgia War

[Yoshie Furuhashi]

Excellent. -- Yoshie

<http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601085&sid=aUsk8fx1e0GI&refer=europe>
Ukraine's Coalition Splits Over Powers, Georgia War (Update2)
By Daryna Krasnolutska

Sept. 3 (Bloomberg) -- Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko's party
quit the ruling coalition in a move that may lead to new elections
with a campaign focused on reaction to Russia's conflict with Georgia.

Yushchenko's allies have accused his one-time political partner Prime
Minister Yulia Timoshenko of "treason'' for failing to condemn Russia,
which has a naval base in Ukraine's Crimean peninsula. Timoshenko
yesterday joined pro-Russian former Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych's
party in a vote to curtail presidential powers. The president today
condemned the two leaders and accused them of staging a "political,
anti-constitutional coup.''

Russian designs on Ukraine became an increasing concern in the West
after it rolled over Georgia's army and recognized the breakaway
Georgian regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia last month. The U.S.
suggested that Russia may next pose a threat to Ukraine, a conduit for
natural gas exports to Europe, which wants to join the North Atlantic
Treaty Organization and European Union.

"The coalition collapse may bring on early national elections as all
of the big parties may see some benefits,'' said Oleksandr Lytvynenko,
a political analyst at Kiev-based Razumkov Center in a phone interview
today. "We may also see a new coalition, formed by Timoshenko and
Yanukovych and that might explain Timoshenko's neutral position on the
Russian-Georgian conflict.''

'Territorial Integrity'

Timoshenko, who is due to meet Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin
in Moscow this month, has said she supports Georgia's "territorial
integrity,'' though her party refused to back a resolution condemning
Russia's recognition of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. That prompted
Yushchenko to issue a statement demanding "Ukraine's parliament give a
clear view on what happened in Georgia,'' a former Soviet republic
like Ukraine.

Yushchenko and Timoshenko swept to power in the 2004 Orange Revolution
promising to forge deeper ties with the West and become less dependent
on Russia. The two have since had a series of disputes over the sale
of state assets and ways to fight inflation.

Yushchenko first appointed Timoshenko as prime minister in 2005. He
fired her several months later, saying economic growth slowed under
her rule. Yushchenko tried to make a deal with Yanukovych in August
2006 but then dissolved parliament, accusing the pro-Russian
politician of trying to oust him.

Timoshenko returned as prime minister in December 2007 after her block
and Yushchenko's party won a combined 228 seats in the 450-member
parliament in an election in the nation of 46 million people that is
similar in size to France.

Legal Moves

Timoshenko and Yanukovych's lawmakers voted yesterday to strip
Yushchenko of the right to reject a candidate for the post of prime
minister, the right to appoint a head of the State Intelligence
Service and loosened presidential impeachment procedures.

"Every law that was voted in the parliament contradicts Ukraine's
constitution,'' Arseniy Yatsenyuk, speaker of parliament and a member
of Yushchenko's party, said yesterday in a statement on parliament's
Web site. "Unfortunately, we faced collusion. Political forces made a
new configuration.''

Timoshenko today rejected the accusation of betrayal in a statement on
her party's Web site.

Under the constitution, the president can dissolve the legislature and
call general elections if parties fail to form a coalition within a
month.

"The vote shows Timoshenko's strategy is to make her government
independent ahead of 2010 presidential elections,'' said Lytvynenko.

All three party leaders are expected to run in the next presidential
election and officials in Yushchenko's office have said Timoshenko is
trying to secure Russian support before the presidential election, a
charge she denies. Ukraine's eastern region and Crimean peninsula are
dominated by Russian-speakers who oppose Yushchenko's goal of leading
the country into NATO.

To contact the reporter on this story: Daryna Krasnolutska in Kiev at
dkrasnolutsk at bloomberg.net.
Last Updated: September 3, 2008 06:01 EDT

<http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/4c94fe04-7996-11dd-bb93-000077b07658.html>
Ukraine's coalition on brink of collapse
By Roman Olearchyk in Kiev
Published: September 3 2008 10:04 | Last updated: September 3 2008 20:11
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Analysts have said, and polls have shown, that in the event of an
election now, Our Ukraine would lose seats, while both Tymoshenko's
Bloc and the [Moscow-leaning] Regions party would gain.

<http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/bccca6a2-7a1a-11dd-bb93-000077b07658.html>
Fears for Ukraine as pro-west coalition fails
By Roman Olearchyk and Stefan Wagstyl
Published: September 4 2008 03:00 | Last updated: September 4 2008 03:00
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An early parliamentary poll could cost Mr Yushchenko's party dearly as
it is far behind the Tymoshenko and Yanukovich parties in opinion
polls.