2008 Ukrainian political crisis

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The 2008 Ukrainian political crisis started after President Viktor Yushchenko's Our Ukraine–People's Self-Defense Bloc (NU-NS) withdrew from the governing coalition following a vote on a bill (4 September 2008) to limit the President's powers in which the Prime Minister's Bloc Yulia Tymoshenko (BYuT) voted with the opposition Party of Regions. The bill would have required the consent of the Prime Minister for the appointment and dismissal of the Prosecutor General by the President, given the government power to appoint local heads of government if the President rejects the candidates,[1] stripped from the President the right to reject a candidate for Prime Minister, dismiss the Defense, Interior and Foreign Ministers, and appoint a head of the State Intelligence Service.[2][3] President Yushchenko stated that a clear position on the 2008 Russo-Georgian War was one of the conditions under which return to talks in the Parliament (Verkhovna Rada) was possible, as well as the repeal of all the constitutional laws adopted after 3 September.[4] Yushchenko claimed that a "de-facto coalition" was formed with 'no other aims but to conduct coup d'état and usurp power in the country'.[5] Tymoshenko stated that the real intentions behind the President's party in 'declaring war on her' was to ensure his victory in the next presidential election, although she still called for a reformation of the coalition between the two parties.[6] She also reiterated her position on the Georgian conflict, claiming to be neutral and more in line with the European Union.[2]

On 16 September, the collapse of the BYuT/NU-NS coalition was officially announced.[7] Following the failure to re-create the coalition, the Ukrainian parliament was dissolved by president Yushchenko on 8 October 2008, giving way to the third parliamentary election in three years.[8]

The crisis ended when the Orange Coalition was reformed on 9 December 2008, but including Lytvyn's Bloc after Volodymyr Lytvyn was elected as parliamentary speaker the day before.[9]

  1. ^ "Rada clipping Yushchenko's wings by reassigning prosecutor general and heads of oblast and city administrations". Western Information Agency. 4 September 2008. Archived from the original on 20 September 2008. Retrieved 11 September 2008.
  2. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Time was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference bloomberg was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ "President names conditions for resolution of situation in the VR". Press office of President Victor Yushchenko. 5 September 2008. Archived from the original on 20 September 2008. Retrieved 5 September 2008.
  5. ^ "The new de-facto coalition was an attempt of coup d'etat – President". Press office of President Victor Yushchenko. 11 September 2008. Archived from the original on 15 September 2008. Retrieved 11 September 2008.
  6. ^ "What fuels fresh political crisis in Ukraine". Xinhua. 4 September 2008. Archived from the original on 7 September 2008. Retrieved 10 September 2008.
  7. ^ "Ukraine's pro-Western coalition collapses: speaker". Agence France-Presse. 16 September 2008. Archived from the original on 16 September 2008. Retrieved 16 September 2008.
  8. ^ "Ukraine gets third election in three years". Radio Netherlands. 8 October 2008. Archived from the original on 11 October 2008. Retrieved 8 October 2008.
  9. ^ "Tymoshenko Says Ukrainian Crisis is over". Radiofreeeurope/Radioliberty.