Three Ukrainian parliamentary factions agree to enter new coalition

Three factions in the Ukrainian parliament have agreed to enter a new coalition, which new Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych is seeking to create to push through his policies.

Three factions in the Ukrainian parliament have agreed to enter a new coalition, which new Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych is seeking to create to push through his policies, the Ukrainskaya Pravda daily has said, quoting the Ukrainian first deputy speaker.

The Ukrainian majority coalition, led by Yanukovych's political arch-rival Yulia Tymoshenko, who narrowly lost in last month's presidential election, collapsed on March 2. The next day, parliament dismissed Tymoshenko's government, improving the chances of Yanukovych's Party of Regions to form a new parliamentary majority.

"Consultations on the issue with all parliamentary factions have been concluded. There is a [positive] decision of three factions, which would form a coalition together with a number of other lawmakers," Oleksandr Lavrynovych was quoted by the paper as saying.

The factions that decided to enter the new coalition in the 450-seat legislature were Yanukovych's Party of Regions (172 seats), the Communists (27 seats), and the Lytvyn Bloc (20 seats), he said.

On February 10, the Ukrainian parliament passed a law to ease the rules for forming a majority coalition in parliament. It requires the majority coalition manifest to be signed by at least 226 of the coalition members. Previously, only the signatures of faction leaders were necessary to constitute a coalition.

However, the three factions that agreed to enter the coalition hold altogether only 219 seats, which means they would need the support of seven other lawmakers to create the parliamentary majority.

"Apparently, we will see the announcement of a list of lawmakers and the decision of parliamentary factions to create a coalition, as well as the publication of a coalition manifest, in the near future," Lavrynovych was quoted as saying.

Tymoshenko, whose bloc holds 153 seats in the Kiev-based legislature, earlier announced she would move into the opposition without waiting until a new parliamentary majority was formed.

So far, there has been no agreement reached with the Our Ukraine - People's Self-Defense bloc led by former president Viktor Yushchenko, which has 71 seats in the parliament, on entering the coalition, Lavrynovych said.

Besides the five factions, there are seven independent lawmakers in the Ukrainian legislature.

In line with Ukrainian law, if a new parliamentary coalition is not formed within 30 days after the dissolution of the previous one, the president has a right to disband parliament.

Yanukovych, who came to power last month after winning the February 7 runoff, insists on creating a ruling coalition without calling fresh parliamentary elections. He says Ukraine cannot afford early parliamentary elections because the prolonged political instability would provoke a worsening of the economic crisis in the country.

KIEV, March 11 (RIA Novosti)