Ukraine

Yushchenko dissolves parliament, calls new elections

Article published on the 2008-10-09 Latest update 2009-01-01 14:32 TU

Viktor Yushchenko formally disolves parliament.
(Photo: Reuters)

After a month of political crisis, Ukrainian president Viktor Yushchenko officially dissolved parliament on Wednesday and called new elections to be held on 7 December.

The coalition that has ruled Ukraine since the so-called Orange Revolution of 2004/2005 fell apart in September after months of growing tensions between Yushchenko and Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko.

Their relationship took a turn for the worse during the war between Russia and Georgia this summer. Yushchenko supported Tbilisi and called Tymoshenko a “traitor” for holding a neutral stance.

In September, Tymoshenko fought back by supporting a pro-Russian opposition proposal to reduce presidential powers. Yushchenko’s party pulled out of the governing coalition in response, and gave up on any reconciliation Wednesday.

The coalition fell apart because the parties of the Orange Coalition were not able to work with opposition parties led by the Party of Regions, says Political scientist Serguei Tolstov at the Ukrainian academy of sciences in Kiev.

“There are sharp contradictions between Tymoshenka and the [opposition] Party of Regions,” Tolstov told RFI.

Yushchenko and Tymoshenko are long-time political rivals who are likely to face off in the next presidential election expected in late 2009 or early 2010.