Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Ukraine

Tymoshenko Calls On Legislators To Give Up Seats

Yuliya Tymoshenko (file photo) (epa)

July 24, 2006 -- Former Prime Minister Yuliya Tymoshenko says deputies of her parliamentary faction are ready to give up their seats in parliament in an attempt to persuade President Viktor Yushchenko to dissolve parliament and call new elections.

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July 24, 2006

"Being aware of the danger of a restoration in Ukraine of a communist-oligarchic government, and with the aim of providing the president with additional constitutional provisions to call for extraordinary parliamentary elections in Ukraine, we state that we are ready to end our terms as members of the Ukrainian parliament," Tymoshenko said.

Tymoshenko today urged deputies from Yushchenko's Our Ukraine party to do the same.

Tymoshenko has repeatedly called on Yushchenko to dissolve parliament to prevent a new "anti-crisis" coalition led by the pro-Russian Party of Regions from forming Ukraine's next government.

The "anti-crisis" coalition was formed after Tymoshenko's party, Our Ukraine, and the Socialists -- the three parties behind Ukraine's 2004 Orange Revolution -- failed to agree on a coalition after inconclusive March elections.

Yushchenko could dissolve parliament after July 25 but he has indicated he has no wish to do so.

(Interfax-Ukraine, UNIAN)

The Key Players

BEHIND THE IMAGES: Click on the links below to read RFE/RL's profiles of some of the key players in Ukraine's March 26 legislative elections:

Viktor Yanukovych

Yuriy Yekhanurov

Yuliya Tymoshenko

Oleksandr Moroz

Rynat Akhmetov

Volodymyr Lytvyn

Click on the image for background and archived articles about Ukraine's March 26 elections.

Click on the image to see RFE/RL's coverage of the Ukrainian elections in Ukrainian.

Click on the image to view a photo gallery of some of the key players in the Ukrainian elections.

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