ALERT Ukraine dissolves parliament - Election later this year

N

nilla

Inactive
McCain mentioned the imoportance of the Ukraine and Georgia in the debates last night due to the oil coming from that region. Not suprised to hear about this as Russia is ready to swoop in there too i bet...
 
ChickenLittle

ChickenLittle

Contributing Member
It's a shame we can't dissolve the US Congress and start over. I think we need to do away with the elections and just have a lottery to decide who goes to Congress. It has to be better than what we have now.
 
TheSearcher

TheSearcher

Are you sure about that?
nilla said:
McCain mentioned the imoportance of the Ukraine and Georgia in the debates last night due to the oil coming from that region. Not suprised to hear about this as Russia is ready to swoop in there too i bet...
Click to expand...

Not to veer this off to a domestic political thread, but I find it interesting that McCain could sense this importance, and punctuated it last night.
 
TheSearcher

TheSearcher

Are you sure about that?
Possibly related, at least in terms of timing:

Russian president Dmitry Medvedev calls for Europe to freeze out US

The Russian president, Dmitry Medvedev, has called on European leaders to create a new world order that minimises the role of the US.

By Adrian Blomfield in Moscow
Last Updated: 6:33PM BST 08 Oct 2008

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/wor...dvedev-calls-for-Europe-to-freeze-out-US.html

President Medvedev blamed Washington's 'economic egotism' for the world's financial woes Photo: AP
Confident that a spat with Europe prompted by Russia's invasion of Georgia in August was over, Mr Medvedev arrived in the French spa town of Evian determined to woo his fellow leaders into creating an anti-US front.

Gone was the kind of war time rhetoric that saw Mr Medvedev lash out at the West and characterise his Georgian counterpart Mikheil Saakashvili as a "lunatic". Instead Mr Medvedev spoke of a Russia that was "absolutely not interested in confrontation".

Yet there was little doubt that Mr Medvedev was playing the divide-and-rule tactics of his predecessor Vladimir Putin by seeking to pit the United States against its European allies.

In a speech delivered to European leaders at a conference hosted by President Nicolas Sarkozy of France to discuss the international financial crisis, Mr Medvedev sought to show that the United States was at the root of all the world's problems.

He blamed Washington's "economic egotism" for the world's financial woes and then accused the Bush administration of taking Europe to the brink of a new cold war by pursuing a deliberately divisive foreign policy. He also maintained that the United States was once again trying to return to a policy of containing Russia.

"After toppling the Taliban regime in Afghanistan, the United States started a series of unilateral actions," Mr Medvedev said. "As a result, a trend appeared in international relations towards creating dividing lines. This was in fact the revival of a policy popular in the past and known as containment."

While he called for a cooling of the noxious rhetoric that has blighted East-West relations in the past two years, Mr Medvedev clearly laid the blame for the deterioration on the United States, which he said was again viewing Russian through the prism of the Cold War.

"Sovietology, like paranoia, is a very dangerous disease, and it is a pity that part of the US administration still suffers from it," he said.

To remedy Washington's ambitions to play the global policeman, Mr Medvedev proposed an overhaul of the world's security and financial structures.

In order to end the "unipolar" model in which the world depended on the United States, he proposed creating new financial systems to challenge the dominance of the International Monetary Fund and the World Trade Organisation, both of which had fallen under Washington's spell.

Slamming the enlargement of Nato, which he said had advance provocatively towards the borders of Russia, he also proposed drafting a new European Security Treaty. While Russia has insisted it is not intending to supplant Nato, Mr Medvedev made it clear that the US-dominated alliance was partly responsible for the war in the Caucasus by its failure to rein in Georgian "aggression".

If the tone was softer, the theme of the speech was familiar, and drew comparisons with an address by Mr Putin in February last year in which the former president, now prime minister, railed against US "hyperpower". Many observers say that address heralded the beginning of a new era in East-West confrontation.

"Medvedev's speech was more balanced than previous ones, but it was still permeated with criticism of the United States," said Nikolai Petrov, a Russian foreign policy expert at the Carnegie Centre think-tank in Moscow. "He curtsies to Europe but what he proposes is ultimately anachronistic rather than constructive."

To what extent Europe will warm to Mr Medvedev's policies is uncertain. It is clear, however, that Russia's diplomacy with Europe's major powers – Britain aside – has been remarkably successful in the aftermath of a war that saw Moscow branded an international pariah, even by traditional allies like Germany.

The Russian president won fulsome praise from Mr Sarkozy after he announced that all Russian troops had been withdrawn from buffer zones around Georgia's rebel enclaves of South Ossetia and Abkhazia before Friday's deadline for a pull out.

Describing his guest as a man who had "kept his word", Mr Sarkozy immediately declared that talks on an EU-Russia partnership deal, suspended as punishment for Russia's military operation in Georgia, could resume.

Russia has also mended fences with Germany, concluding a new bilateral energy deal and winning assurances from Angela Merkel, the chancellor, that Berlin would not support granting Georgia or Ukraine Nato candidate status when the alliance meets in December.

While Russia may have pulled out of undisputed Georgian territory, Kremlin critics fret that the EU has won a pyrrhic diplomatic victory. Russia has doubled its troop presence in Abkhazia and South Ossetia in contravention of United Nations resolutions and in defiance of earlier EU calls, which now appear to have been dropped, to withdraw to pre-conflict positions.

Despite international condemnation, Russia has also unilaterally recognised the independence of both provinces, a fact that observers say could cause instability in the Caucasus for years to come.
 
S

Stropes

Inactive
Very interesting. . . . after the Georgian invasion you heard a lot about Ukraine being next. I wonder how the president's actions might effect any move by Russia.
 
Wardogs

Wardogs

Inactive
Yushchenko Dissolves Parliament, Blames Tymoshenko
http://tap-the-talent.blogspot.com/2008/10/yushchenko-dissolves-parliament-blames.html

In a televised address at 9 p.m. local time Wednesday, President Viktor Yushchenko announced his decision to dissolve Ukraine's parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, due to what he described as "the ambition of one person" and the "prevalence of personal interests over national ones."

He also blamed PM Tymoshenko for inflation and populism.

His decision brings an end to a monthlong drama of rocky relations within the Orange coalition and following its demise, in which Tymoshenko's BYuT and Yushchenko's NUNS sought advantage over each other. Influenced by their leaders and power brokers, the two Orange coalition parties flirted with the Party of Regions with an eye toward the 2010 presidential election.

The situation deteriorated after the Russo-Georgian conflict. Unlike President Yushchenko, PM Yulia Tymoshenko showed little support for Georgia. In addition to that, the Presidential Secretariat accused Tymoshenko of treason, alleging that the PM had held secret meetings with the Russians.

On September 2, Tymoshenko's BYuT entered into an ad hoc alliance with the Party of Regions, voting to curtail Yushchenko's powers and make Russian a second official language for public servants.

Recently, BYuT reversed its decision in an apparent attempt to stem the fall of its approval ratings in western Ukraine. Nevertheless, attempts at resurrecting the Orange coalition have failed, giving the President the right to dissolve Parliament.

New elections will be held by year-end.

Sources: President Yushchenko's address on Channel 5
*****

A bit more on what led up to this....
wardogs


Ukraine: aah the joys of democracy
http://the8thcircle.com/2008/09/05/ukraine-aah-the-joys-of-democracy/
September 5, 2008 by Vitaliy

Ukraine is reenacting its annual political crisis. It is not constitutional yet, but the instability of the ruling coalition was foreseen at its inception (a government with a majority of ONE vote is …eeeh unstable). Thus far, the rhetoric has been raised to the level of “parliamentary coup” and “Dictatorship of the Prime Minister.”

How did this all start? A short answer: the Georgian-Russian war provided an external political context which was used by President Viktor Yushchenko and his underlings to attack PM Yulia Tymoshenko.

Tymoshenko, rightly or wrongly, was accused of national treason due to her taking a very low profile position on the war (in contrast to Yushchenko). This ticked off the PM, and she finally came out in public ridiculing attacks on her (see Ukrainiana for detailed video coverage).

The full force response came when Tymoshenko’s BYuT party crossed coalition ranks and joined with the opposition leader Viktor Yanukovych’s Party of Regions to castrate emasculate the president in all kinds of ways by, for example, taking away the power of local state appointments (for the latest on this see pravda.com.ua).

What happens next? We wait. There is a “waiting” period of about two weeks when the government can be salvaged, but yet another set of pre-term elections is a distinct possibility.

All of this is around the upcoming EU-Ukraine summit in France on September 9th.

The repeat (annual) political crises in Ukraine have already made Ukraine look as a Belgium relatively young democracy. But while governmental crises are part of a natural democratic process through which political interests attempt to find an equilibrium, they inevitably hurt Ukraine’s negotiating position. For example, EU might open the door for membership to Belgrade as soon as next year (i.e. candidate status). Kyiv meanwhile cannot even secure a pathetic “European perspective” statement.

Blogs

For one reason or another, Ukraine has been the subject of the blogosphere discussion. Nosemonkey looks at how the country is positioned between the East and the West, and while I don’t agree with his analysis, it nevertheless is an opportunity for those in the EU to get to know its eastern neighborhood better.

European Avenue also picked up an interesting short documentary in French about the history of Ukraine. Even if you don’t speak French, you can follow the story by relying on the map visuals. And Certain Ideas of Europe blogs about Cheney’s visit to Eastern Europe.

Finally

The Ukraine List (UKL) run out of University of Ottawa by Dominique Arel has issued another of its “crisis editions.”

UKL’s primary contributions are (1) to collect official statements and commentaries related to important political events in Ukraine, and (2) if those statements require translation into English, the UKL undertakes this as a public service.

The latest edition can be downloaded in PDF format here.

[UPDATE September 6]: Veronica posts about her unpleasant experience with another blogger. In the process, she hits the bulls eye:

And an oversimplified view of Ukrainian politics is all too common, too: Yushchenko is good, Yulia is sexy, Yanukovych is bad, Russian-speaking Ukrainians are against the West, Ukrainian-speaking Ukrainians are against Russia.
*********************

Orange blues (2008)
http://the8thcircle.com/2008/09/16/orange-blues-2008/
September 16, 2008 by Vitaliy

At this point many a reporter might be tempted to recycle any of the articles he or she wrote about the political crisis in Ukraine during 2005, 2006 and 2007.

It’s the same story, over and over again. The problem is structural and could be fixed by reallocating the distribution of political power in an unambiguous way, but alas, that is yet to happen.

Instead, we have another ruling coalition deciding to part ways. As Arseniy Yatsenyuk, the parliamentary speaker, noted (via Ukrainiana):

Today is the day we turn a page of Ukraine’s political history and open a new one. I wouldn’t call this a political apocalypse…it’s yet another challenge for democracy…

Ideally, Yulia Tymoshenko will form a new coalition with Lytvyn Bloc a small party which will put Tymoshenko back in the game with a slight majority. Less ideally and from a perspective of safeguarding democracy quite bad, Tymoshenko and Viktor Yanukovych will join forces together in a grand coalition which will give them a two thirds majority necessary to make constitutional changes. Not good.

Unchecked, concentrated power in either the president or the parliament does not have a good track record in this part Europe. (This of course assumes that any grand coalition will not suffer losses from defections of those party members that find it incomprehensible to work with “the other side”)

Either way, France will have its hands full, especially if snap elections are called by President Viktor Yushchenko following a 30-day coalition formation window, which began today. But then, Yushchenko may decide against doing so (Financial Times):

[He could] stop short of holding a second snap election. In such a scenario, Ms Tymoshenko would temporarily retain her position as head of an acting government.

So sit back, relax and watch the drama unfold.
**********************

Snap Election Called In Ukraine
http://blog.kievukraine.info/2008/10/snap-election-called-in-ukraine.html

KIEV, Ukraine -- President Viktor Yushchenko of Ukraine has dissolved parliament weeks after the collapse of the country's ruling pro-Western coalition.

Ukraine's President Viktor Yushchenko speaks during his televised address in Kiev, October 8, 2008. Yushchenko abandoned the search for a viable governing coalition on Wednesday, dissolved parliament and called an early election to the chamber.

Mr Yushchenko, who is visiting Italy, announced Ukraine's third general election in less than three years on television, in a pre-recorded speech.

The coalition collapsed after Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko backed a move to reduce the president's powers.

In his speech, the president blamed its collapse on her "thirst for power".

Many analysts believe Ms Tymoshenko will stand for president in 2010.

She and Mr Yushchenko were allies during the 2004 "Orange Revolution" which swept pro-Western forces to power after a discredited presidential election.

'Ruined by ambition'

The president did not set a date for the new election.

"In conformity with the Ukrainian constitution, I halt the parliament's powers and announce parliamentary elections," he said in his five-minute speech.

"The vote will take place in democratic and lawful fashion."

"I am convinced, deeply convinced that the democratic coalition was ruined by one thing alone - human ambition," he continued.

"The ambition of one person. Thirst for power, different values, personal interests taking precedence over national interests."

Mr Yushchenko's Our Ukraine party pulled out of the coalition on 3 September after the Tymoshenko Bloc sided with the pro-Moscow opposition Party of Regions to pass several laws Mr Yushchenko saw as a threat to his presidential powers.

The coalition was officially dissolved on 16 September and parties had 30 days to form a new government.
 
Wardogs

Wardogs

Inactive
TheSearcher said:
I guess the tea leaves were in the cup on this development. Thanks, wardogs.
Click to expand...

This has been coming for a while. There was only a one vote majority in the Parliament.
The Georgian "war" was the tipping point.

Hopefully, this will stabilize The Ukrainian government...
wardogs
 
D

dragonslayer2001

Inactive
Haybails

there will now be a cascading series of events and calamities. You should learn to relax and take it in stride because it won't end now, ever. You will be tested like never before.

Things are going to start falling apart worldwide. I think the money people have overplayed their hand and will not be able to contain or control or manipulate the chaos that is now unleashed.

People are angry. All over the world. And that includes Montana. Now really is the time to contact relatives or friends who are out of the big cities in case things continue to escalate and collapse.

In the old days people didn't get instant updates on how bad things were in the other parts of the world. It is not that things just look worse than they are, they are. The bubble that many of US have warned about for years has now popped and is collapsing. There is no escaping it, but if it is too much, you can ignore much of it by not reading about it.
 
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