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Ukrainian parliament set to nominate Yanukovych as PM

Other News Materials 11 July 2006 13:31 (UTC +04:00)

(RIA Novosti) - A newly formed leftist coalition in the Ukrainian parliament will officially put forward candidature of the leader of the pro-Russian Party of Regions for the post of prime minister, the speaker said Tuesday.

Oleksandr Moroz said deputies from the Party of Regions, the Communist Party and the Socialist Party that teamed up following the collapse last week of the Western-leaning "orange" coalition would formally dissolve the previous coalition and announce the creation of a new one, reports Trend.

The speaker, who leads the Socialist Party and whose controversial election as speaker led to the disintegration of the "orange" alliance of his party, pro-presidential Our Ukraine and the Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc, also said the parliamentarians would elect deputy speakers and outline the number and activities of parliamentary committees.

"We are planning to form 26 committees and an audit chamber," Moroz said. "The committees will be formed strictly on a proportional basis."

If Party of Regions leader Viktor Yanukovych does become premier, it will mark a return to the post he held in 2002-2004 under President Leonid Kuchma before going on to fight unsuccessfully the 2004 presidential election.

However, a Ukrainian Internet publication said Monday that former premier Yulia Tymoshenko, who leads her eponymous bloc, had convinced President Viktor Yushchenko to dissolve parliament, even though he suggested in June that new elections would be too expensive.

"Tymoshenko had a two-hour meeting on Monday with Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko on further developments in the new political situation," the publication said. "She told her close supporters that that the president is considering the dissolution of the parliament."

The publication quoted Rada member Andriy Shevchenko as saying that YTB would discuss Tuesday ways of blocking the work of the Ukrainian parliament if necessary, which would mirror a move made by the Party of Regions at the end of June.

Our Ukraine leader Roman Bessmertny said Monday that his faction was also considering blocking the work of the 450-seat legislature on Tuesday.

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