Tymoshenko May Support Yushchenko in Election

Today, during a press conference covering the first 100 days of the new government, Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko told reporters she is ready to support President Viktor Yushchenko's bid for re-election ... under certain conditions, of course.

Tymoshenko said, “If there is a normal harmonious collaboration between the President and me at the current stage, if we work as a single team and yield result to society, without any condition, I will make that there will be a single candidate from the democratic forces. I may support Victor Andriyovych [Yushchenko]."

This is certainly a nice gesture, but is it realistic? The President and Prime Minister have butted heads about almost everything since Tymoshenko assumed office in December. Why should anyone believe things will suddenly change now? It would certainly be nice to see the democratic coalition function as a single group without internal conflicts. I guess we'll have to see how Yushchenko responds.

If an agreement can be reached, I wonder if that would change Yuri Lutsenko's plans for creating a new political party. Lutsenko may continue with his plans, since he said the new party would be created as a partner in the democratic forces, not as an alternative to the Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc and Our Ukraine People's Self Defense Bloc.

After everything we have seen in Ukrainian politics over the last several years, all I can say is ... I'll believe it when I see it.