Our Ukraine officials have refused to deny widespread speculation that they may unite with Regions
Days before Ukraine’s parliamentary elections, fiery politician Yulia Tymoshenko challenged President Viktor Yushchenko to clarify to voters whether his main political bloc would form a coalition with their common foe from the 2004 Orange Revolution – the Donetsk-based Regions of Ukraine bloc.
The move by Tymoshenko, who was one of Yushchenko’s closest allies until being sacked by the president last fall, is seen as a last-minute attempt to squeeze votes out of the pro-presidential Our Ukraine bloc.
Our Ukraine officials have rushed to deny widespread speculation that they may unite with Regions, whose leader Viktor Yanukovych lost the 2004 presidential elections to Yushchenko as a result of the country’s Orange Revolution.
But Tymoshenko’s ultimatum serves as a warning to voters that Our Ukraine, which is now competing with Tymoshenko’s Byut bloc for the divided Orange vote, could nevertheless form a majority coalition with Regions in the new parliament.
“The people should know whether the coalition negotiations are being held between the Regions of Ukraine and Our Ukraine,” Tymoshenko said at a press conference on March 21.
“Otherwise they will not be able to make an informed decision,” added the former premier, who has repeatedly vowed that her bloc would not take part in a coalition with the people behind Regions, whom she and others blame for the election fraud that sparked off the Orange Revolution.
Tymoshenko insisted Our Ukraine and Regions were close to reaching a deal, with each side floating candidates for top-level posts in the government, which, following recent constitutional changes, will be largely appointed by the new parliament.
Political analysts have predicted in recent months that Our Ukraine was more likely to form a majority with Regions than with Tymoshenko, who has positioned herself in opposition to Yushchenko since being ousted as prime minister in September.
Regions, which draws most of its support from eastern and southern Ukraine, has about 30 percent voter support according to recent polls. Our Ukraine and Tymoshenko, stronger in the west and center of the nation, trail with 20 percent voter support or lower.
Our Ukraine officials have contradicted each other when asked about their bloc’s future coalition plans.
For example, Our Ukraine leader Roman Bezsmernty rushed to dismiss Tymoshenko’s charges on March 21 with a statement suggesting that his bloc was in coalition talks with Tymoshenko. He did not, however, confirm whether or not talks with Regions were underway or being considered.
“I was surprised to hear Tymoshenko speak about coalition talks between Our Ukraine and the Party of Regions,” Bezsmertny said.
“Last week for the first time during the election campaign, I met with Tymoshenko, upon her initiative, and we discussed the issue of a future Orange coalition,” he added.
Moreover, Bezsmernty accused Tymoshenko herself of collaborating with the Regions bloc and other political groups that had backed former President Leonid Kuchma, explaining that her faction voted along side them on numerous occasions.
Bezsmertny said this would-be “coalition tried to oust the government” of Prime Minister Yuriy Yekhanurov earlier this year. It was Yekhanurov who replaced Tymoshenko last fall.
Earlier this week, another leading member of Our Ukraine, David Zhvania, said an Our Ukraine-Regions coalition was possible.
Political analysts have noted that Our Ukraine, caught in a dog fight for votes with Tymoshenko’s Byut, could lose support if it admitted to negotiating with Regions.
Some have argued that a coalition between Regions and Our Ukraine would prove more stable and business-friendly than a coalition based on Our Ukraine and Byut. By uniting, both blocs would form a base for a coalition with support across the country. Moreover, an Our Ukraine-Regions coalition is considered more business-friendly than one based on Our Ukraine and Tymoshenko, who was sharply criticized for spooking investor confidence as premier when she called for more reviews of controversial privatization deals conducted under Ukraine’s previous administration. Our Ukraine and Regions have opposed further privatization reviews, while Tymoshenko has adopted a more radical approach, calling for punishment of crimes committed under President Leonid Kuchma’s administration.
Nevertheless, Our Ukraine is making every effort to convince voters that it has not lost it Orange Revolution values.”Our political values and democratic style are diametrically opposite to those of the Regions of Ukraine Party,” Bezsmertniy said in a statement circulated by Our Ukraine on March 21.
