Yanukovych Resigns - No Successor

Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych resigns, making way for the formation of a new government. The new Parliament met briefly, but the democratic coalition was not formed.

On November 23, 2007, Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych submitted his resignation while Ukraine’s newly elected Parliament was sworn in. With the potential of a change in power to the “Orange” coalition of the Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc and Our Ukraine People’s Self Defense Bloc, Yanukovych was required to formally surrender his powers prior to the formation of a new government.

Nothing is easy in Ukrainian politics. Though the new Parliament met for the first time today, the session was brief, as eight deputies from President Viktor Yushchenko’s Our Ukraine Bloc failed to show and sign the coalition agreement. Without those signatures, the coalition will not be formally recognized, and without the coalition, a new Prime Minister cannot be selected, and a new government cannot be formed. Also, the Party of Regions and Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc could not reach an agreement on the date of Parliament’s next session.

Signs point to Yulia Tymoshenko becoming Ukraine’s new Prime Minister. President Viktor Yushchenko acknowledging that the Party of Regions secured the most votes of any single political group, has asked Tymoshenko to include them in the new government, though she rejects the idea. Ever since the official election results were announced, Yanukovych has been saying he hopes his party is included in the new government.

I hope this does not mean there are already cracks in the democratic coalition. It is bad enough that Tymoshenko and the Party of Regions cannot get along, much less problems within the “Orange” coalition. It is vitally important that Ukraine gets a new, functional government soon. Still, I cannot be surprised at these events. After all, it would not be Ukrainian politics without drama and several disagreements.