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| Europe |
| Fall of Ukraine Coalition Gives Opening to New President |
| 2010-03-03 |
| KIEV, Ukraine--Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko's governing majority in Ukraine's parliament collapsed Tuesday, bringing her newly elected rival, President Viktor Yanukovych, a step closer to his goal of removing her from office. Volodymyr Lytvyn, the parliament speaker, declared that Ms. Tymoshenko's coalition had failed to collect enough signatures from legislators to show that it maintained a majority in the 450-seat body. That means Ms. Tymoshenko is likely to lose a parliamentary vote of confidence Wednesday, giving Mr. Yanukovych's Party of Regions a chance to form a new government. Mr. Yanukovych, who defeated Ms. Tymoshenko in the Feb. 7 presidential election, is seeking to consolidate his power to govern a country that has long suffered political paralysis, and that last year saw its economy shrink by 15%. At his inauguration on Feb. 25, the new president promised to revive the economy, overhaul state structures and fight corruption--and called for "effective cooperation between the president, parliament and government." |
| Posted by:Steve White |