Will Ukraine’s “Orange” Coalition Reform?

Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko and her political faction, the Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc (BYuT), have unconditionally agreed to all conditions set forth by their former partner, Our Ukraine People’s Self Defense Bloc (OU-PSD), for the reformation of their parliamentary coalition. The coalition fell apart in September when members of OU-PSD left the coalition after a series of disagreements with Tymoshenko.

Pre-conditions for the reformation of the coalition include:

Abolishing the state service bill and referendums/governmental deputy immunity
The formation of a joint agenda between the groups
Creation of a coordinated position on the Russia/Georgia conflict/Condemning Russian aggression in Georgia
Taking into consideration President Viktor Yushchenko’s remarks on 5 vetoed laws
Reforming Ukraine’s laws to be compliant with European Union laws
Abandonment of laws decreasing presidential powers

If you think this is a good sign, think again. Tymoshenko said of the agreement, “All the steps they proposed we accept... all conditions, ultimatums and arm-twisting.” She also expects Yushchenko to issue new “ultimatums” in the near future.

Most discouraging is one other remark Tymoshenko made about the agreement:

“We do not agree with them. We just accept them to preserve the democratic coalition and uphold democratic policies.”

Those are not words that can provide anyone with a decent level of comfort. Upon hearing that comment, my immediate reaction was that the words are hollow and if the coalition re-forms, it will lead to more of the same bickering that broke-up the coalition in the first place, leaving the government in an unstable condition. Tymoshenko is not about to change her ways, and obviously agrees to meet the stated conditions only to avoid the hassle of a new election.

Another Tymoshenko remark:

“We will currently demonstrate to the Ukrainian people who wants and who does not want the restoration of the democratic coalition..."

allows her to say she is not the cause of the country’s political problems. Clearly, she has put all responsibility for the coalition and/or a new election squarely on Yushchenko’s shoulders.

I just don’t believe Tymoshenko’s actions and comments are meaningful. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that Yushchenko’s actions have been the right way to do things. I simply can’t see how these two can possibly work together in any functional way for any length of time.