Ukraine's parliament today voted to dismiss Defense Minister Yuriy Yekhanurov, a pro-Yushchenko figure, amid intense power struggle and allegations of corruption.
The firing of Yekhanurov comes on the eve of the expected birth of a new coalition, between the Party of Regions and Bloc of Yulia Tymoshenko, one that would be fiercely opposed to President Yushchenko.
The Coalition of Unity and Revival, as the two would-be coalition partners call it, plans to rewrite the Constitution and abolish direct presidential elections.
The vote breakdown:
PRU, 161
BYuT, 152
NUNS, 4
LyB, 19
CPU, 27
Sources:
http://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2009/6/5/96047.htm
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7 comments:
Yushchenko has called this a "staff war."
So now, Ukraine has no Finance Minister, probably no Interior Minister, and no Defense Minister - all theoretically appointed by the Prez.
The newspapers in Ukraine have not been very good at specifying exactly what the "corruption" consists of.
Something about "violating presidential decrees," establishing medical clinics for the military, and some sort of non-specified illegal transactions.
Any idea what the corruption specifics are?
What this looks like to me is going after Yushchenko by going after his family and his dog.
It's Mafia style politics.
There may be something to the corruption charges, but I'd sure like to know the specifics.
Well...I guess with that vote total (363), the "Coalition of Unity and Revival" likely will have more than sufficient support to pass through Constitutional amendments to bring in a Rada-elected president and Mr. Yanukovych.
What do people think of this impending "coup"? Support for Yushchenko is not there, but what about support for BYuT and PR?
Elmer,
So far, Interior Minister Lutsenko has kept his job. A Tymoshenko man, he will not be sacrificed until the Coalition of Impunity and Deprival starts working.
The corruption charges against Yekhanurov involved illegal land deals and food supply contract overcharges.
John,
In this vote, they limited Yushchenko’s influence over the military and tested their voting firepower.
While they’re busy scheming, none of them wants a pro-Yushchenko man in charge of the Ministry of Defense. Of course, we still have the SBU and the General Staff. The President remains Commander-in-Chief.
As much as I hate him for all the bad things he’s done, I hope he’s not asleep at the switch.
Leopolis,
Everybody’s holding their breath, even the perpetrators.
They’re playing an action-reaction/wait-and-see kind of game. They’re probably running secret polls, trying to find out which of the amendments creates most public resentment and how it may affect them.
Yushchenko’s ratings will rise, and theirs will fall (both in western and eastern Ukraine), once they choose to go through with the plan. It is a conspiracy with the intent of self-aggrandizement via:
1. Depriving people of their right to elect a president;
2. Duopolizing government;
3. Using government for the benefit of the ruling oligarch clans;
4. Abridging freedom of press.
The Constitutional amendments they seek amount to a coup and must be dealt with as such.
Taras, I've seen the reports about "illegal land deals" and "contract overcharges" - phrases, but no specifics.
This is indeed an attempted coup, and they are putting up trial balloons on a daily basis.
One of the latest news reports shows that the Party of Regions wants "more time" to "think this over" and also to delay forming a coalition until constitutional amendments are enacted.
That way, it doesn't seem as rigged.
If Tymo and Yanuk manage to implement this corruption, Ukraine will revert to its status as a subsidiary of Maskva.
Goodbye, Ukraine.
Andrew Wilson's "Ukraine: An Unexpected Nation" will become "Ukraine: a former nation"
Taras, what exactly is the restriction to freedom of the press that is connected to this new 'coup'? How exactly is this Coalition going to affect freedom of speech? And do you fear that the situation in Ukraine will come to resemble the situation in Russia or in Belarus?
Elmer,
It’s been rescheduled. Enjoy my latest post!
Sérgio,
Thank you for your interest in Ukraine! One of the proposed amendments contained an overly expansive definition of “disinformation” and required that media outlets found guilty of it have their licenses revoked.
By now, coalition talks between Yanukovych and Tymoshenko appear to have collapsed.
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