Ukraine’s Government Officially Collapses
As expected, Verkhovna Rada Speaker Arseniy Yatseniuk announced the formal dissolution of the pro-Western “Orange” majority coalition between the Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc (BYuT) and President Viktor Yushchenko’s Our Ukraine People’s Self Defense Bloc (OU-PSD). A new majority must be built within the next 30 days, or the nation faces another election.
BYuT claims it is not responsible for the collapse because the group did not quit the alliance. Instead, they point fingers at OU-PSD, which quit the coalition on September 3. BYuT has also shown an instruction from OU-PSD leadership to their regional party organizations stating the main task is a snap election, not saving the coalition.
Obviously BYuT did not quit the coalition, but that, in itself, is not enough to claim they are not responsible, or share responsibility, for the breakup. OU-PSD did not leave without reason, or what they saw as a just cause. Not only that, but Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko and President Yushchenko have been at each other’s throats almost since the day Tymoshenko took office last December.
While there have been issues with many of Yushchenko’s decisions and actions, some of Tymoshenko’s have also been quite suspect. Not only that, Tymoshenko has typically been completely resistant to any policy compromises. It seems to be either her way or the highway. It is time (actually way past time) for Tymoshenko and Yushchenko to stop placing blame elsewhere and simply look at themselves - there is plenty of blame to spread around to all parties. These two have been so completely focused on themselves they forgot they are supposed to be in office to serve the Ukrainian people - you know, the people who are really suffering through all this.
At this time, I should also apologize for being so excited last year when the “Orange” coalition assumed power. I should have known better than to believe Yushchenko and Tymoshenko could get along and that the coalition would last and be successful.
BYuT claims it is not responsible for the collapse because the group did not quit the alliance. Instead, they point fingers at OU-PSD, which quit the coalition on September 3. BYuT has also shown an instruction from OU-PSD leadership to their regional party organizations stating the main task is a snap election, not saving the coalition.
Obviously BYuT did not quit the coalition, but that, in itself, is not enough to claim they are not responsible, or share responsibility, for the breakup. OU-PSD did not leave without reason, or what they saw as a just cause. Not only that, but Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko and President Yushchenko have been at each other’s throats almost since the day Tymoshenko took office last December.
While there have been issues with many of Yushchenko’s decisions and actions, some of Tymoshenko’s have also been quite suspect. Not only that, Tymoshenko has typically been completely resistant to any policy compromises. It seems to be either her way or the highway. It is time (actually way past time) for Tymoshenko and Yushchenko to stop placing blame elsewhere and simply look at themselves - there is plenty of blame to spread around to all parties. These two have been so completely focused on themselves they forgot they are supposed to be in office to serve the Ukrainian people - you know, the people who are really suffering through all this.
At this time, I should also apologize for being so excited last year when the “Orange” coalition assumed power. I should have known better than to believe Yushchenko and Tymoshenko could get along and that the coalition would last and be successful.
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