From bad to worse for Tymoshenko in Ukraine

Ukraine’s governing coalition has collapsed, after its leaders failed to submit enough signatures to show they maintained a majority.

Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko lashed out at her former allies in parliament and hinted at foul play:

“It’s clear that some things which have happened have been deliberately engineered – firstly, the presidential elections and secondly, the deliberate collapse of our coalition today. I think in the near future we will see the creation of a fake coalition, despite Ukraine’s constitution and laws.”

Tymoshenko remains in office but faces a vote of no-confidence in her government on Wednesday.
She has hinted that if the vote succeeds, she may leave immediately and not wait for a replacement to be voted in, as expected.

It comes a month after she lost the presidential run-off to the pro-Russian Viktor Yanukovich, who has already told Euronews that a new era is on its way for Ukraine:

“The time of the so-called “Orange” government is over. Tymoshenko has been in that chair a bit too long already. It would have been better if she had resigned and cleared the way for a new parliamentary coalition and a new government capable of beating the crisis we are in.”

Weeks of horse-trading are expected as Yanukovich’s Regions Party works to form its own coalition followed by a new government. If this does not happen within 30 days, he has the right under Ukraine’s constitution to dissolve parliament and call fresh elections.

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