The Ukrainian parliament [Verkhovna Rada] returned to work after the summer recess in what was a most turbulent day. BYuT, PoR and the Communists voted together to change the law on the Cabinet of Ministers, significantly weakening the powers of the President with respect to the KabMin and parliament. The BYuT/PoR/Communists grouping garnered well in excess of a constitutional majority of 300 votes - there is already some talk of impeachment of the president..
The VR, by 362 votes, changed the law on the Security Serice of Ukraine [SBU] and removed the President's powers to appoint and sack the SBU's leadership. It is proposed that this function be transferred into the hands of the VR.
Looks like the ruling BYuT/NUNS coalition is now belly up, dead in the water.
The Verkhovna Rada rejected making any declaration on the situation in Georgia. All the draft resolutions submitted by parliamentary factions in the Rada for consideration on this matter failed to receive the minimum 226 MPs' votes. The parliament also refused to recognize the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
VR speaker Yatsenyuk has run away from his chair, declaring, "The collapse of the ruling coalition will not happen with my hands." The remainder of the sitting was led by a newly-appointed deputy.
There was some truth in the rumours that Yulka T had been plotting on the high seas during her summer hols. then.
LEvko thinks Yushchenko has brought much of this about himself. In 2005 he sacked the then PM Yulia Tymshenko together with her government. Last year he dismissed a PoR-led VR in a legally most dubious manner. This year his secretariat's constant unfounded accusations of treachery directed at Tymoshenko and her government have become a bad joke. In the latest macabre twist the head of the pres's secretariat Viktor Baloha, in a letter to the acting head of the SBU, claims Tymoshenko is planning to 'eliminate' him. He says there are plans to poison him, kill him in a staged automobile accident, or to shoot or to blow him up. Even the 'Donbass' daily recently sprung to the defence of PM Yulia Tymoshenko from these never-ending assaults.
Maybe more later..
Update : NUNS have just 'pulled the plug' on the NUNS/BYuT coalition. VR deputies now have 30 days to cobble together a new ruling coalition or else new elections will take place.
I hate to say it BUT we have been warning that this will come to pass.
ReplyDeleteThe fact is Yushchenko is no longer constrained by the 12 month rule and faced with the possibility of losing office he will go to any extent to retain power.
He is now hiding behind the regional crisis in Georgia and is about to throw Ukraine once again into political/constitutional crisis.
Problem is he has stacked the Constitutional Court which is no longer independent.
It should be clear to anyone that has been watching events unfold in Ukraine that Yushchenko is the main problem facing Ukraine today.
Yulia has to come to some arrangments with Party of Regions to protect Ukraine's interests and democratic values.
Ukraine MUST adopt changes to it's constitution that will see Ukraine complete the transition towards a truly European democratic Parliamentary system of governance.
It is time to put an end to the abuse of power and office of the President.
Yushchenko should resign if not he MUST be impeached before it is too late and more damage is inflicted on Ukraine.
Message to Yulia:
Yushchenko has been the problem well before the last election. He is deliberately seeking to undermine Ukraine's Parliamentary democracy.
He is the problem.
It is time that you act in the interest of Ukraine and true democratic values. Impeach the president and complete the transition to a European Parliamentary system.
NOW IS THE TIME.. DO NOT DELAY
If you delay he will once again throw Ukraine into a political/constitutional crisis in order to hold on to office.
While I agree with UkrToday that Yush has been the problem, I don't buy into his statement: "Yulia has to come to some arrangments with Party of Regions to protect Ukraine's interests and democratic values."
ReplyDeleteThis has been nothing but a clan (aka oligarch) power struggle. I no longer sense that any of them are that interested in democratic values, but in enriching themselves..and I believe PoR is the very worst of all three!