Ukraine: The Orange Revolution turns Sour

It seems odd that the Ukraine constitution prohibits politicians from crossing the floor. Or maybe it is odd that in Canada it is allowed and rather common practice! After all if people elect you on a certain platform why should you be allowed to represent a competing and perhaps contradictory platform!
The Orange Revolution seems to be losing steam and a more pro-Russian regime may very well win the election.


Ukraine president disbands parliament, calls election
Political crisis deepens
Last Updated: Monday, April 2, 2007 | 7:18 PM ET
The Associated Press
President Viktor Yushchenko has disbanded Ukraine's parliament and called an early election in a power struggle among parliamentary leaders.

In a televised speech Monday, Yushchenko made the announcement for a May 27 election after talks with parliamentary leaders failed.

Yushchenko has accused Premier Viktor Yanukovych of trying to usurp power by unconstitutionally expanding his majority in parliament, and has warned the premier that he must back down.

"The political crisis that Ukraine goes through today is caused by the parliament crisis," Yushchenko said.

Yanukovych has said he seeks compromise, but will not bow to any ultimatums.

The stakes are high for the nation of 47 million and for Yushchenko, who is
under enormous pressure from all sides.



Yushchenko's former Orange Revolution allies held a major rally in the capital on Saturday, urging him to dissolve parliament.

In another development, Yanukovych's backers have begun laying the ground work for a competing tent camp near the parliament building to pressure the president not to dissolve the 450-seat house.

"I do understand the policy of the opposition, they want to ruin everything and
after that to blame the government that it is working badly," one Yanukovych supporter said, referring to Yushchenko's supporters.

"They are staging provocations all the time. And [opposition leader] Yulia [Tymoshenko] is simply lying," Elena Pikova told AP Television News.

Allies defect
The standoff between Yushchenko and Yanukovych arose after 11 lawmakers allied with the president defected to Yanukovych's coalition last month, in violation of the constitution.

It states that the coalition can be expanded only by the addition of entire factions, not individual lawmakers.

Yanukovych now has the support of 260 lawmakers in the 450-seat house, and his party has suggested they will soon reach 300 — enough to overturn presidential vetoes and make changes to the constitution.

Yushchenko came to power after hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians flooded onto
Independence Square to protest Yanukovych's fraud-marred presidential victory in 2004.

The Supreme Court overturned Yanukovych's victory and called new elections, which Yushchenko won.

© The Canadian