Home Page  >  Focus on Ukraine  >   

Focus on Ukraine, February 15-21, 2010

February 22, 2010
Focus on Ukraine

Overview of political events of the week

 
February 15
 
Leader of the Bloc of Yulia Tymoshenko (BYuT) Ivan Kyrylenko informed that the faction will file a lawsuit to the Supreme Administrative Court of
Ukraine to challenge the results of the presidential elections.
He said his bloc’s candidate has the right to challenge the results of the presidential elections.
Kyrylyenko pointed out that after the court’s ruling the BYuT is prepared to approve the decision on the participation or non-participation in the parliamentary session on the inauguration of the president.

 

The press service of the Kremlin reported that Russian President Dmitry Medvedev congratulated Viktor Yanukovych on his election as the new president of Ukraine and invited him to pay an official visit to Moscow.
In his communiqué the Russian president expressed his home that the renewal of Russian-Ukrainian relations will be constructive and fruitful in the spirit of true partnership.
 
 

Viktor Yanukovych said in an interview with BBC Ukraine that he does not rule out Serhiy Tihipko as a potential candidate for the seat of the premier.

Yanukovych said Tihipko is on the list of candidates that is up for consideration in the parliament. Given his conviction that a coalition will be formed around the future premier, Ukraine’s new president will try to unite the parliament by finding a more acceptable candidate for this position.

 
February 16
 

Premier Yulia Tymoshenko filed a lawsuit with the Supreme Administrative Court of Ukraine challenging the actions of the Central Election Commission on the tallying of the results of the presidential elections.

In her claim Tymoshenko is requesting that the court designate a repeat election of the head of state. Tymoshenko says there are eight volumes of materials in the claim.       

 

The press service of the Supreme Administrative Court of Ukraine informed that the entire panel of the court’s judges will consider the claim filed by Premier Yulia Tymoshenko challenging the results of te presidential elections.

The press service also informed that an automated system into which all data of the claim will be entered will determine the plaintiff of the case in the order of probability.

 

Elections to the local councils will not be held this spring. 250 deputies of the Verkhovna Rada voted in favor of cancelling the resolution setting the elections to the parliament on May 30.
 The parliament must set the revised date of elections within a week. The MPs argue the reason for postponement is the absence of a national budget from which funds are allocated to finance such elections.

 

Viktor Yushchenko gave a summarial press conference in which he said he is proud of the fact the presidential elections were held at the proper level.

The head of state informed he will not attend the inauguration of the newly elected president, but will meet with him in his office after the inauguration.
Yushchenko also promised the challenge to the election results in the Supreme Administrative Court of Ukraine will be made public.
Responding to journalists’ questions, he expressed his confidence that Yanukovych will not cancel the awarding of the Hero of Ukraine title to Stepan Bandera.
 Yushchenko added that the biggest mistake he made during his presidency was appointing Yulia Tymoshenko to the post of premier.

 

Viktor Yanukovych assured that his goal in life is to strengthen Ukraine’s independence and improve peoples’ standard of living. 

He made such a statement in response to Viktor Yushchenko’s skepticism when said at his press conference that Yanukovych and Tymoshenko are one in the same and are both pro-Russian politicians. The newly elected president stressed that he wants to build a strong and independent country.

 

Members of Our Ukraine – Peoples’ Self-defense said at a meeting with the head of state that Premier Yulia Tymoshenko is not about to step down from her post and wants to preserve the existing coalition between BYuT, OU-PSD and the Lytvyn Bloc.

One a part of the faction and members of Vyacheslav Kyrylenko’s For Ukraine group did not show up for talks with Tymoshenko.
The OU-PSD denies the fact that many of its members are prepared to join a coalition with the Party of Regions.

 

The inauguration of Viktor Yanukovych was set for February 25.

This date was approved by 238 members of parliament among whom were deputies of the Party of Regions, the Lytvyn Bloc, the Communist Party, 15 membes of the OU-PSD and three independent deputies.
Meanwhile, the leader of the BYuT faction Ivan Kyrylenko said it would be improper to hold the inauguration prior to the verdict of the court.

 

The Party of Regions is calling on members of the OU-PSD that want to engage in state-building to unite around the program proposed by Viktor Yanukovych.

 
The Verkhovna Rada rejected the bill on reinstating 10-year studies in schools. The bill envisaged reducing the term of study to gain a full education in general learning institutions from 12 to 10 years.
President-elect Viktor Yanukovyc proposed reinstating a 10-year study program.
 
February 17
 

The press service of the Supreme Administrative Court of Ukraine informed that it has suspended the ruling on establishing the results of the second round of the presidential elections prior to the consideration of the administrative case initiated by Yulia Tymoshenko challenging the results of the presidential elections.

 

VR Speaker Volodymyr Lytvyn requested the Coalition Council to submit all documents confirming the existence of the coalition in parliament within 10 days. This requires the signatures of 226 people’s deputies.

 

The parliament of Crimea adopted a decision to officially name itself in Russian the Verkhovniy Soviet instead of Verkhovnaya Rada. 82 of the 93 members of parliament that took part in voting gave their votes in favor of this decision. The parliament of Crimea is made up of 100 deputies.

The MPs believe that since the majority of the population of Crimea is Russian-speaking, the old name of the Verkhovna Rada of Crimea should be reinstated. In its appeal to the VR of Ukraine the Crimean MPs requested that amendments be made to Article 136 of the Constitution of Ukraine and the name of the parliament of the Crimean Autonomous Republic be changed.

 
February 18
 

Member of the OU-PSD faction Anatoliy Matvienko said his colleagues believe the parliament should be dissolved.

In his opinion, the statements of Viktor Yanukovych regarding the stationing of the Russian Black Sea Fleet on the territory of Ukraine after 2017 and other promises to the Kremlin only add fuel to the fire in this confrontation.
 Matvienko said no coalition can exist on this backdrop.

 
February 19
 

Premier Yulia Tymoshenko stated at a meeting of the Supreme Administrative Court of Ukraine that she will acknowledge the results of the presidential elections if they are objectively reviewed.

The court headed by Oleksandr Nechytailo, who was appointed via an electronic system, is reviewing the case. More than 150 police officers guard the premises of the court. The court did not allow the meeting to be broadcast live on the air.

 

The BYuT faction negatively received the intentions of the speaker of parliament, who requested that 226 deputy voices be gathered within 10 days and that the existence of the coalition be confirmed.

The faction members consider that the coalition exists. Such a decision was adopted a year ago in accordance with the Constitution and nobody has to prove anything.

 
February 20
 

Yulia Tymoshenko recalled her claim against the CEC she submitted to the Supreme Administrative Court of Ukraine.

The premier said she sees no sense in further consideration of the claim due to the lack of desire to establish the objective truth in the case and a formal approach to the claim.
Specifically, she said the court refused to study the base evidence on which the claim was grounded and turned the functions of the CEC in tallying the voting results into an essentially arithmetic process without any confirmation of its substantiation.

 

The Supreme Administrative Court of Ukraine satisfied the request of Yulia Tymoshenko to discontinue review of her claim challenging the results of the presidential elections.

 

President Viktor Yushchenko held a telephone conversation with Viktor Yanukovych. During the conversation Yushchenko congratulated Yanukovych on his legitimate election to the office of the president.
The head of state expressed his hopes that Yanukovych as the president-elect will put all his efforts forward to fulfill his main duty in this position, namely the consolidation of Ukraine.  

 
 
      


Begin   Previous page   1   2   3   4   5   Next Page   End
^ Top