Our Ukraine In Coalition Talks With Pro-Russian Party
Ukrainian Prime Minister Yuriy Yekhanurov (file photo) (AFP)
Yuriy Yekhanurov said he is holding talks with the Party of Regions on behalf of President Viktor Yushchenko and his Our Ukraine bloc.
The Party of Regions garnered nearly one-third of the votes in the March 26 polls.
It is led by Viktor Yanukovych, a former prime minister and the chief rival of Yushchenko in the flawed elections that resulted in the Orange Revolution in late 2004.
Yekhanurov said on April 7 that a majority of Our Ukraine members believe Yanukovych's party could join a governing coalition.
Our Ukraine this week drafted an agreement setting the basis for a coalition with Yushchenko's former Orange Revolution partners, the Yuliya Tymoshenko Bloc and the Socialist Party. But the Socialist Party gave the proposal an icy response.
(Ukrayinska Pravda, AP)
Yushchenko (center) with Russian Ambassador to Ukraine Viktor Chernomyrdin (left), Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (rear), and Russian President Vladimir Putin (AFP file photo)
IN WHOSE ORBIT? Just over a year ago, tens of thousands of Ukrainians led an extended public uprising that toppled the country's entrenched, pro-Russia regime. But the country remains deeply divided between the east, where ethnic Russians look toward Moscow, and the west, which yearns for deeper integration with Europe. Can Ukraine elect a legislature that represents this torn country? (more)
See also:
Moscow Silent In The Run-Up To Ukraine's Elections
Is Kyiv On Stable Path Toward Integration With World Economy?
Western Neighbors Keen To Help Transition To Democracy
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