Our Ukraine has been involved in complicated talks with the bloc of former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko and the Socialist Party to establish the majority needed for the parliament to function in the wake of March 26 elections that failed to produce a clear winner.
"Negotiations on drafting a coalition agreement will definitely end before June 7," Roman Bessmertny said. "The substantive part of the agreement, which is concerned with an action plan and procedural measures, has already been coordinated."
He said the agreement could be inked at the beginning of next week.
The mooted coalition, which could bring an end to the parliamentary limbo that has paralyzed Ukrainian politics since the March elections, now comprises Tymoshenko's bloc, and the Socialist Party. Our Ukraine has yet to sign the agreement.
Negotiations on forming a coalition, as mandated in the country's constitution, have been complicated over disagreements on who should be appointed prime minister, and over Tymoshenko's refusal to deal with the pro-Russia Party of Regions, which came first in the parliamentary elections and holds 186 seats but has been frozen out of the coalition.
President Viktor Yushchenko previously said a coalition agreement had to be signed before the first session of parliament on May 25. If parliamentarians fail to agree a month after the parliament starts work, the president is entitled to disband the legislature and call new elections.
