Radio ga-ga

One of Tymshenko's closest aides, the 'Mr nice-guy' Mykola Tomenko, in a press conference in Ternopil yesterday highlighted the degree of NSNU's slump. In the 'marginal' Kirovograd oblast NSNU obtained 8-times fewer votes than Yushchenko received in the 2004 Presidential elections.

And in Kyiv, NSNU was supported by less than 16% of Kyivites, as compared to 78% of votes accumulated by Yushchenko on 26th December 2004. His message at the press conference was: "The business elite of Our Ukraine are discrediting the President," i.e. Tomenko is attacking Yushchenko's coterie, but not him directly.

FT reports that uncertainty and failure to form a coalition could precipitate a currency crisis.

And President Yushchenko will be delivering a radio address to the nation tonight, 18:00 local time. He is supposed to be laying out the priniciples, as he sees them, for formation of a coalition. Link to internet access here. Will he continue to dither?

Update:

Today's radio address by President Yushchenko, on 'Formation of a Parliamentary coalition', included these main points:

• Political consulations will continue immediately after the official results of the elections have been published.
• President will consider the canditatures for the leading positions in the government only after a program of activity by the future parliamentary coalition has been determined...
• The government which will be formed by the coalition, should become a government for all Ukrainians, and not only those who supported certain political forces. The government should work for the unity of the country, and should allocate much attention to humanitarian, unifying policies.
• Quote: "I will not allow the country to again loose time because of the inability of some politicians to work in a team."

'Grand coalition', or BYuT-NSNU-Soc coalition?