What happened last night in the VR, when Yanukovych 'twisted the arms' of several dozen PoR deputies to ensure they vote for a pro-government motion granting 'amnesty' to those imprisoned during the current troubles, is well described in this liga.net piece.
http://news.liga.net/articles/politics/970720-metod_yanukovicha_rade_ne_dali_uregulirovat_konflikt_s_maydanom.htm
Observers will have noticed the serious non adherence to parliamentary procedure and blatant cheating took place. It would even embarrass a rough-a**d pub darts team committee.
Yanukovych allegedly threated renegade PoR deputies during a heated, closed meeting that he would disband parliament and prosecute those that did not adhere to the party line. [Most likely these are the same people that had 'lined their pockets with Yanukovych's blessing - so the 'owe him', so to speak].
Taras Chornovil, who for several years was a close adviser to Yanukovych considers many PoR deputies greatly fear the consequences of the current crisis being unresolved , and greatly fear personal sanctions, but they fear Yanukovych even more. Yanukovych could have permitted part of his fraction to vote with the opposition knowing that any new laws would not be adhered to in any case; but this would have been a politically fatal sign of weakness. Hence his unprecedented late-night rush to parliament to twist arms.
One opposition deputy, Lesya Orobets, claims she was punched in the stomach when she tried to stop fraudulent voting. She claims 10 - 15 votes were stolen, and will now revert back to wearing a bullet-proof vest in parliament.
Different presidential advisers are already giving different versions of what was actually voted for, because none of the parliamentary deputies and no parliamentary committees had sight of the new laws.
For many hours after the vote no official version of the new law was published - no journalist could obtain hard copy. Do demonstrators have to clear some defined buildings? Or all of the streets? Will everyone imprisoned since the trouble started be released? The whole thing was a complete farce.
Yanukovych and his party in parliament are looking a complete shambles. I have never before seen official PoR parliamentary talking heads so stressed out and shaken when being interviewed in the parliamentary lobbies.
The waverers in PoR, many of them heads of large business corporations, will not forgive Yanukovych for his thuggish attitude last night. PoR deputies are truly scared - they are most aware that the situation in Ukraine could not get very ugly indeed. Their advice now to one another is: "Get your families out - as fast as possible."
Parliament should be an independent branch of government. But now that serious cracks have appeared in the PoR fraction they will no longer be repairable.
As I have previously mentioned law enforcement agencies are also incompetent and discredited. They are allegedly being paid big bonuses 'up front' to do their work and are apparently demanding 'dollars only'....Without support from paid thugs, the titushky, they would be even weaker.
After Wednesday's vote in parliament, demonstrators and activists will be even less trustful and even more angry of the government, if that is possible..Pressure from western governments and organisations will not subside, but will grow ever stronger is there is any more serious violence...
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