Ukraine Election Campaign Heats Up

President Viktor Yushchenko and Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych disagree on a Russian language/NATO referendum while Speaker Oleksandr Moroz talks about impeachment.

With three weeks to go before the special Ukrainian Parliamentary election, things are starting to get ugly. Last Wednesday, Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych and his Party of Regions pledged to secure a referendum on NATO and the status of the Russian language in Ukraine. President Viktor Yushchenko responded by accusing Yanukovych of attempting to destabilize the situation in Ukraine immediately before the election.

Apparently the Party of Regions failed in their attempts to form a coalition with the opposition: Yushchenko’s pro-Western Our Ukraine - People’s Self-Defense Bloc and the Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc. Combined with increasing support for the opposition, this referendum proposal is being seen as a possible last ditch effort by the Party of Regions to gain support before the upcoming election. There are now fears that the election could see the Party of Regions becoming the minority opposition group and Yanukovych unseated as Prime Minister.

Also last week, Verkhovna Rada Speaker Oleksandr Moroz (Socialist Party of Ukraine) announced that after the election, the newly-elected Parliament will immediately start impeachment proceedings against Yushchenko. Moroz claims that Yushchenko usurped power when he dismissed the Parliament on April 2. It is interesting to note that the Socialist Party and Party of Regions are partners in the Alliance for National Unity coalition.

Don’t be surprised if the situation gets worse. The Party of Regions is desperate to maintain control of the government, while the opposition groups are desperate to win power and increase democracy throughout Ukraine. Expect both sides to butt heads constantly over the next three weeks, until the people finally make their decision. Let’s hope this is a fair election and not a repeat of the 2004 presidential election irregularities.