2006 Ukrainian political crisis

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The 2006 Parliamentary crisis in Ukraine started in March 2006 as a result of inconclusive parliamentary elections, and ended on 3 August 2006 with Viktor Yanukovych (as part of the Alliance of National Unity) being chosen as a Prime Minister to replace Yuriy Yekhanurov, who resigned right after the parliamentary elections.

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History

Many speculated that Bloc Yulia Tymoshenko (BYuT) might form a coalition with Our Ukraine party and the Socialist Party of Ukraine (SPU) to prevent the Party of Regions from gaining power. [1] Yulia Tymoshenko solicited to become Prime Minister. [1] However, negotiations with Our Ukraine and SPU faced many difficulties as the various blocs scrapped over posts and engaged in counter-negotiations with other groupings. [2] Apparently President Viktor Yushchenko did not want Tymoshenko to become Prime Minister. [3] Initially SPU's Oleksandr Moroz wanted the post of Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada. [3]

On Wednesday 21 June 2006, the Ukrainian media reported that the three parties had finally reached a coalition agreement, which appeared to have ended nearly three months of political uncertainty. [4] [5]

Tymoshenko's nomination and confirmation as new Prime Minister was expected to be straightforward. However, the nomination was preconditioned on an election of her long-term rival Petro Poroshenko from Our Ukraine as the speaker of the parliament. Tymoshenko stated that she would vote for any speaker from the coalition. [6] Within a few days after the coalition agreement had been signed, it became clear that the coalition members mistrusted each other, [6] since they considered it to be a deviation from parliamentary procedures in order to hold a simultaneous vote on Poroshenko as the speaker and Tymoshenko as Prime Minister. [7] [8]

The Party of Regions announced an ultimatum to the coalition, demanding that the parliamentary procedures be observed, asking membership in parliamentary committees to be allocated in proportion to seats held by each fraction, chairmanship in certain Parliamentary committees as well as Governorships in the administrative subdivisions won by the Party of Regions. [9] [10] The Party of Regions complained the coalition agreement deprived the Party of Regions and the communists of any representation in the executive and leadership in parliamentary committees while in the local regional councils won by the Party of Regions, the coalition parties were locked out of all committees as well. [9]

Members from the Party of Regions blocked the parliament from Thursday, 29 June [11] through Thursday, 6 July. [12]

Following a surprise nomination of Moroz as the Rada Chairman and his subsequent election late on 6 July with the support of the Party of Regions, the "Orange coalition" collapsed (Poroshenko had withdrawn his candidacy and had urged Moroz to do the same on 7 July [6] ). [13] [14] After the creation of a large coalition of majority (the so-called Alliance of National Unity), led by the former prime minister Viktor Yanukovych and composed of the Party of Regions, Socialists and Communists, Viktor Yanukovych became Prime Minister. [15] [16] Whilst Tymoshenko immediately announced that her political force would be in opposition to the new government, [17] after the signing of the Universal of National Unity Our Ukraine initially wanted to join this coalition and indeed five of its members where appointed Cabinet of Ministers in the coalition, but in October 2006 Our Ukraine joined the opposition. [18] [19] [20] [21] By November 2006 the five ministers where dismissed by parliament or withdrawn by Our Ukraine. [22] [23]

Following the 2007 Ukrainian political crisis new elections were called and held in 2007. [24]

See also

Related Research Articles

The Our Ukraine–People's Self-Defense Bloc was an electoral alliance active in Ukraine from 2001 until 2012, associated with former President Viktor Yushchenko. Since 2005, the bloc had been dominated by a core consisting of the People's Union "Our Ukraine" party and five smaller partner parties. On 17 November 2011, the Ukrainian Parliament approved an election law that banned the participation of blocs of political parties in parliamentary elections. Since then several members of the Bloc have since merged with other parties.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Socialist Party of Ukraine</span> Political party in Ukraine

The Socialist Party of Ukraine was a social democratic and democratic socialist political party in Ukraine. It was one of the oldest parties and was created by the former members of the Soviet-era Communist Party of Ukraine in late 1991 when the Communist Party was banned. It was represented in the Verkhovna Rada from 1994 to 2007 and was the third or fourth largest party in the Rada over the 13 years. From 2007 onwards the election results of the party became extremely marginal. Oleksandr Moroz led the party for more than twenty years. The party was suspended in the wake of the February 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine and it was officially banned by a court decision on 15 June 2022. The slogan of the party was "Socialism will be imbued with patriotism".

The Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc was the name of the bloc of political parties in Ukraine led by Yulia Tymoshenko since 2001. In November 2011, the participation of blocs of political parties in parliamentary elections was banned. The core party of the alliance, Batkivshchyna, remained a major force in Ukrainian politics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Viktor Yushchenko</span> President of Ukraine from 2005 to 2010

Viktor Andriyovych Yushchenko is a Ukrainian politician who was the third president of Ukraine from 23 January 2005 to 25 February 2010. He aimed to orient Ukraine towards the West, towards the European Union and NATO.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elections in Ukraine</span> Political elections for public offices in Ukraine

Elections in Ukraine are held to choose the president, Verkhovna Rada (legislature), and local governments. Referendums may be held on special occasions. Ukraine has a multi-party system, with numerous parties in which often not a single party has a chance of gaining power alone, and parties must work with each other to form coalition governments.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yulia Tymoshenko</span> 10th and 13th prime minister of Ukraine

Yulia Volodymyrivna Tymoshenko is a Ukrainian politician, people's Deputy of Ukraine, Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine for the fuel and energy complex (1999–2001), Prime Minister of Ukraine from February to September 2005 and from December 2007 to March 2010. She was the first and so far the only woman to serve as prime minister of Ukraine. She has the degree of Candidate of Economic Sciences.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oleksandr Moroz</span> Ukrainian politician

Oleksandr Oleksandrovych Moroz is a Ukrainian politician. He was the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada twice, from 1994 to 1998 and again from 2006 to 2007. Moroz is one of the founders and the leader of the Socialist Party of Ukraine, formerly an influential political party in Ukraine. Moroz lost parliamentary representation when the Socialist Party failed to secure sufficient number of votes (2.86%) in the 2007 snap parliamentary election, falling 0.14% short of the 3% election threshold.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yuriy Lutsenko</span> Ukrainian politician

Yuriy Vitaliyovych Lutsenko is a Ukrainian politician whose most recent post was Prosecutor General of Ukraine from 12 May 2016 until 29 August 2019. Following the February 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine Lutsenko joined the Armed Forces of Ukraine and has taken part in several battles since.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Party of Regions</span> Pro-Russian political party in Ukraine

The Party of Regions was a pro-Russian political party in Ukraine formed in late 1997 that then grew to be the biggest party of Ukraine between 2006 and 2014.

The All-Ukrainian Union "Fatherland" referred to as Batkivshchyna, is a political party in Ukraine led by People's Deputy of Ukraine, former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko. As the core party of the former Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc, Batkivshchyna has been represented in the Verkhovna Rada since Yulia Tymoshenko set up the parliamentary faction of the same name in March 1999. After the November 2011 banning of the participation of blocs of political parties in parliamentary elections, Batkivshchyna became a major force in Ukrainian politics independently.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yuriy Yekhanurov</span> 11th Prime Minister of Ukraine

Yuriy Ivanovych Yekhanurov is a Ukrainian politician who was Prime Minister of Ukraine from 2005 to 2006 and Minister of Defense from 2007 to 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Second Yanukovych government</span> Government of Ukraine

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">2007 Ukrainian parliamentary election</span>

Early parliamentary elections were held in Ukraine on 30 September 2007. The election date was determined following agreement between the President Viktor Yushchenko, the Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych and the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Oleksandr Moroz on 27 May 2007, in an attempt to resolve the political crisis in Ukraine triggered by the 2 April 2007 presidential decree on dissolution of Ukraine's parliament.

The 2008 Ukrainian political crisis started after President Viktor Yushchenko's Our Ukraine–People's Self-Defense Bloc (NU-NS) withdrew from the governing coalition following a vote on a bill to limit the President's powers in which the Prime Minister's Bloc Yulia Tymoshenko (BYuT) voted with the opposition Party of Regions. The bill would have required the consent of the Prime Minister for the appointment and dismissal of the Prosecutor General by the President, given the government power to appoint local heads of government if the President rejects the candidates, stripped from the President the right to reject a candidate for Prime Minister, dismiss the Defense, Interior and Foreign Ministers, and appoint a head of the State Intelligence Service. President Yushchenko stated that a clear position on the 2008 Russo-Georgian War was one of the conditions under which return to talks in the Parliament was possible, as well as the repeal of all the constitutional laws adopted after 3 September. Yushchenko claimed that a "de-facto coalition" was formed with 'no other aims but to conduct coup d'état and usurp power in the country'. Tymoshenko stated that the real intentions behind the President's party in 'declaring war on her' was to ensure his victory in the next presidential election, although she still called for a reformation of the coalition between the two parties. She also reiterated her position on the Georgian conflict, claiming to be neutral and more in line with the European Union.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Second Tymoshenko government</span> Government of Ukraine

The second Tymoshenko Government was appointed on 18 December 2007 as a coalition between Bloc of Yulia Tymoshenko (BYuT) and Our Ukraine-People's Self-Defense Bloc (OU-PSD), OU-PSD is the party of then-President of Ukraine Viktor Yushchenko, following the 2007 Ukrainian parliamentary election. The government program was named: "Ukrainian breakthrough: for people, not for politicians".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">First Azarov government</span> Government of Ukraine

The first Azarov government was Ukraine's cabinet from its appointment on March 11, 2010 until its dissolution on December 3, 2012. It continued to serve as a caretaker government until 24 December 2012, when the second Azarov government was appointed by president Viktor Yanukovych.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2010 Ukrainian local elections</span>

The 2010 Ukrainian local elections took place on 31 October 2010, two years before the 2012 general election. The voter turnout across Ukraine was about 50%, which is considered low in comparison to previous elections.

The first Azarov government was Ukraine's cabinet from March 2010 until December 2012, when the second Azarov government was appointed by president Viktor Yanukovych.

References

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